Did Sasikala threaten secular writers in India?

The recent verbal tirade launched by KP Sasikala, leader of the Hindu Aikya Vedi or Hindu United Front, a Hindu organisation working in the state of Kerala in India, against secular writers, had the state media scrambling for every word she uttered during her speech at a gathering. Her statements came after the gruesome murder of Gauri Lankesh, a prominent female journalist who was very vocal about her criticisms against Hindu hardliners including RSS and Sangh Parivar, especially in the aftermath of BJP having come into power. Gauri’s bold stance against Hindu fascism made her a lot of enemies from RSS whose members often sent veiled threats to her with the intention of stopping her from writing against Hindutva agenda.

It is apparent that Sasikala’s words were twisted to a great extent by the media when she in fact was implying about the impending danger that secular writers might face at the hands of the Indian Congress party if they continue write. She used a Sanskrit phrase “Mruthunjaya Homa” a Hindu ritual that is performed to ward off the fear of death, while calling on secular writers to watch their back. In fact the media has used her words pulling them out of context and presented certain parts of her speech as inflammatory. Some politicians went ahead to file a petition against Sasikala over her remarks, which they argued, would threaten peaceful co-existence between diverse religious and secular groups within the state.

- The reader is a trainer based in Dubai