An alliance of Left parties, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Dravida Kazhagam, has demanded the cancellation of the Pondy Lit Fest, The Hindu reports. This is because they feel the event will, umm, promote a Right-wing agenda. Because it’s not like we live in a country where the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is one of the largest cultural organisations. The Left party’s cretinism in assuming that their grand fight against the Right must mean the shutting down of voices is only dwarfed by their hypocrisy. No prizes for guessing who’s posing a threat to free speech now.
The Hindu reports that the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) AM Salim has stated that five political parties would write to the French Consulate and the Embassy in New Delhi on the issue. He expressed his beef with the President of the Alliance Francaise for allowing the venue to be used for the event. And it seems that the Alliance Francaise has already buckled. In a statement, it regretted that the event had been announced “as organised in partnership” with its branch in Puducherry.
The Left parties’ attempt to thwart free expression of the organisers and indeed the participants of the Pondy Lit Fest has come under criticism from many quarters.