Unity among writers emphasised

Hyderabad: Justice B Chandra Kumar called upon writers to stand united in protecting the Right to Freedom of Expression guaranteed by the Constitution to the writers, intellectuals and others in the society.

Speaking at a seminar on the ‘Freedom of Speech –Constitutional Right’, organised by Telangana Intellectuals Forum (TIF), here on Sunday, against the backdrop of protests taking place in the two Telugu States following a book ‘Samajika Smuglarlu Komatollu’ written by Prof Kancha Ilaiah he said that Ilaiah has the right to express what he wanted.

However, referring to the book in question, Justice Kumar said that Ilaiah had committed serious errors by giving his own rendering to the historical and factual incidents, like the circumstances leading to the death of Mahatma Gandhi. But, whether what he said was “Right or Wrong” no one has the right to threaten him, he said.

Further, he said the historical blunders committed by the “progressive forces” in the past by entering into unholy alliances in the name of strategies was one of the main reasons for the current sorry state of affairs in the country. To resolve the current crisis, he advised them to work with commitment, honesty to create awareness among the people to fight against the undemocratic and unconstitutional forces.

Prof P L Visweswara Rao claimed that nearly 1000 companies belonging to the upper castes have been controlling the nation’s wealth and they are opposed to reservations, constitution and welfare of majority of people in the country. And, the book of Ilaiah has expressed this current situation of exploitation of a few in the country. Prof B Sudarshan pointed that the Left movement in the country had failed to recognise the importance of social base by stressing on economic emancipation of the masses.

Writer Jayadev Tirumala Rao pointed out that the division in voices among progressive forces has been emboldening the ruling classes to continue to attack on those raising their voices.