MNS apologises for Nayantara lit fest controversy

MUMBAI/PUNE: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray apologised on Monday to the organisers of a Marathi literary meet whose organisers were forced to rescind an invitation to writer Nayantara Sahgal following threats.

Thackeray said neither his party nor he had any objection to Sahgal’s presence, days after an MNS worker threatened to disrupt the 92nd Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Parishad at Yavatmal if the 91-year-old was in attendance.

“The sentiments behind the resistance by my colleague were stemming from the fact that the very essence of Marathi language needs to be safeguarded. Though his sentiments are correct, one has to take into account the very fact that a very senior and noted writer like Nayantara Sahgal is going to be present at the literary meet,” Thackeray said in a note. He also expressed his “sincere apology” to the organisers for any “inconvenience and strain”.

His comments came amid a raging row over the organiser’s decision, with a number of writers decrying what they called a muzzling of freedom of speech. Laxmikant Deshmukh, outgoing president of the Pune-headquartered Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Parishad, said, “I condemn this kind of action taken by the organisers against such a wellknown author. She is hailed as one of the strongest authors and has raised many concerns on the workings of the government.