Kannada writers, BJP cross swords on Modi

Bangalore, April 6: A section of Kannada writers, including two Jnanpith awardees, and BJP are crossing swords over Narendra Modi in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls that is also being marked by vicious rants among political leaders.

Touching the raw nerve of BJP, celebrated writers U R Ananthamurthy and Girish Karnad have come out with guns blazing on Modi.

Ananthamurthy has said BJP's prime ministerial candidate was a "threat to Indian civilisation and its pluralist culture" and had the demeanour of a "dictator".

Karnad has been highly critical of Modi being "the single face and voice" of BJP. Both Ananthamurthy and Karnad are well known for their ideological aversion to BJP and Sangh Parivar and have waded into controversies on many an occasion with their position.

Cut to the quick by their utterances, BJP has dubbed them as Congress "flatterers" like in the princely courts. "Every person has the right to support a party of his choice.

But is it right on the part of the litterateurs to question the popularity of BJP's prime ministerial candidate and act like a shouting brigade," asked state BJP leader Suresh Kumar.

Hitting hard, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar accused some litterateurs of Leftist leanings and supporting Naxals and criminals, a remark that Ananthamurthy mocked at saying the BJP leader might have said so seeing his beard style.

PTI