This refers to the editorial, “Heed President's call” (November 18). President Pranab Mukherjee’s remarks that prestigious awards are a public recognition of talent, merit and hard work which should be “cherished and valued” by recipients, is no less than an indictment of the awardees who indulged in the rat race of returning awards in protest against an imaginary atmosphere of intolerance in the country. Notably, many writers had issued statements against Mr Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister of India.
In their award-returning campaign, these writers not only acted in a planned and partisan manner to defame the Modi Government, but also made the prestigious award a tool of anti-Modi politics. Attempts were made to create an impression that India is under the seize of Hindutva forces. All of this encouraged UK-based Indian-origin sculptor Anish Kapoor to say that India is being ruled by a ‘Hindu Taliban’, insulting the people of India, who have elected Mr Modi as the country’s Prime Minister.