Maneka seeks Advani's help to stop persecution of Hussain, artists

New Delhi, May 12 (UNI) Describing M F Hussain's persecution as a 'disgrace' to India, Lok Sabha member Maneka Gandhi today sought Leader of the Opposition L K Advani's intervention to direct the BJP cadre in Maharashtra and Gujarat to call off the campaign against the eminent artist.

In a letter to Mr Advani, Ms Gandhi expressed grave concern over the ''continued and unwarranted harassment'' of Mr Hussain and said his paintings have been deliberately misread by some people to give themselves a cause. She also criticised the arrest of two Fine Arts students in Vadodara and the damage caused to their paintings by VHP and BJP activists.

''It is a matter of disgrace to India that Mr Hussain should be sitting in Dubai because of our persecution. He should be here in India and we should have a museum of his works on public display instead of considering which ones to ban and destroy,'' she observed and urged Mr Advani to advise the party in Maharashtra and Gujarat to call off this ''kind campaign'' against Mr Hussain.

Ms Gandhi pointed out that Mr Hussain was one of the greatest artists of this time who has brought Indian art to international notice. Stating that even if his paintings were interpreted correctly and objected to, the purpose of good art was to arose debate, create emotion and passion and be a means of communicating the artist's own thoughts. Otherwise all art would be a mediocre representation of the real world and would have no value except as a photograph imitative of the world, she pointed out.

Emphasising the need to respect artists, she said, ''We are simply going too far in this attack on artists. While we condemn the Muslim fatwa on Taslima for her writings, are we not doing the same.

Two students of the Fine Arts Faculty in Vadodara in Gujarat have been arrested as their paintings, which are part of a private college project, were said to have hurt the sentiments of VHP and BJP activists who attacked and damaged these paintings.'' Terming it as unacceptable behaviour, she said being an open minded and reasonable person, Mr Advani would realise that such acts offended the entire cultural and thinking world.

Pointing out that maximum incidents of cow slaughtering occurred in Gujarat, she said despite taking up the matter with Chief Minister Narendra Modi nothing had been done. The police, which she charged was hand and glove with cattle smugglers, had not stopped this open killing of cows for which the BJP stands for.

''Perhaps we should concentrate our energies on our core beliefs instead of hitting out at artists without any reason,'' she added.

UNI