K R Meera defends writers, V T Balram stops short of verbal abuse

K R Meera defends writers, V T Balram stops short of verbal abuse
V T Balram tried to pun on Meera's name.

Palakkad: A Congress MLA landed in soup after a nasty retort to an award-winning writer drew flak on social media. Irked by K R Meera's defence of fellow writers, V T Balram tried to pun on Meera's name but later sought to turn the spotlight away from “the political correctness” of greetings and on to the political murders in Kerala.

Balram and other Congress leaders had been trying to put the literati in Kerala in the dock for their perceived silence on the twin murders in Periya in Kasaragod on Monday. The narrative accused the writers of warming up to the ruling CPM, whose former local leader is accused of the murders.

Meera took to social media after Congress workers marched to the Kerala Sahitya Akademy office in Thrissur to protest against writers and cultural activists. Meera advised the writers to pay heed to none but their readers as no political party or religious groups would come to their rescue in their hour of crisis. She even advised Balram to pick someone his own size.

The writer was referring to the growing tendency on social media to dictate writers and intellectuals on what to say and what not to say. “Dear aspiring writers, you are left with two choices: Either remain silent and be in the good books of (the people who abuse you, torture you and burn books) or speak out your mind,” she wrote.

Balram, in turn, said that Meera was speaking on behalf of “the largest criminal party in Kerala”. However, he went to the extreme of singling her out for her comment. Faced with criticism, he later wrote on Facebook that he wanted to limit the debate on the recent murders and the inherent violence in communism.

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