Mamata Succumbs to Communal Forces

The cancellation of the four-day function of the West Bengal Urdu Academy on the ground of invitation to lyricist Javed Akhtar once again lends credence to the allegation that political parties across the ideological divides practice secularism to the extent it does not hurt their support base.

Role of Urdu in Hindi Cinema was the topic to be discussed at the function between August 31 and September 3. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is the chairman of the Academy. So, it was a political decision not to antagonise sections of Muslims in the state who were against Akhtar participating in the function who they say has insulted Islam.

Bangladeshi Urdu writer Tasleema Nasrin has condemned it. She said the then Left government had forced her to leave the state under pressure from Islamist forces.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind said that they were against inviting Akhtar as he had insulted all religions and their gods, including Islam. We cannot fight majoritarian communalism by looking the other way when faced with minority communalism. Both have to be fought with equal commitment.