Hubballi: Veteran Telugu writer Pani alleged that fascist forces are attempting to create chaos in the country in the name of religion and to curb the rights of Dalits, tribals, labourers, and women. Delivering the ‘Guiding Talk’ at the 12th May Sahitya Mela, which was inaugurated here Saturday, Pani claimed these forces are also systematically disenfranchising a section of voters.
Democracy Under Threat
“Their experiments have already been successful in West Bengal. Democracy is turning into autocracy,” Pani said. He noted that from Basavanna, the 12th-century Karnataka social reformer, to today’s writers, many have raised voices against such forces, but attempts to silence them have intensified. “They should understand that grassroots literature never bows to totalitarianism,” he added.
Constitution in Danger
Writer-activist K Neela lamented that the Constitution, authored by B R Ambedkar, who belonged to a suppressed community, is in danger. “India is suffering from a superiority complex that is now turning into ego,” she said. Neela pointed out that while 40% of the nation’s income is held by five wealthy individuals, fascist forces continue to harass the poor. “This new fascism is leading to mass hysteria,” she explained, adding that Vachana literature was originally created to resist such forces. She also noted that Hinduism, though a geographical marker, is being misused as a religion.
