PANJIM: Backing Vishnu Surya Wagh’s book ‘Sudhir Sukth’, BJP Vice-President Anil Hoble on Tuesday informed that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has assured that the FIR filed against the former MLA would be withdrawn.
Addressing the media, Hoble said, “The entire State unit of the BJP is backing Vishnu Wagh and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has assured us that the case would be closed after seeking an expert opinion on the issue.”
Contrary to what some allege, Hoble said, “The book contains no objectionable references against the influential Gaud Saraswat Brahmin community in Goa.”
“The language used by former the MLA and poet Vishnu Wagh is the same as used by the common man and it was completely wrong on the part of the NGO to file an FIR against him. Wagh is currently bedridden and therefore he should not be targeted,” he said.
‘Sudhir Sukth’, a collection of Wagh’s Konkani poems, went unseen until recently since its publication in 2013. However, the book got mired in controversy when a jury member took exception to its portrayal of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB), after it was proposed for the annual poetry award by the Goa Konkani Academy, by Wagh’s supporters. It sparked anger among the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins who allege that they are portrayed derogatorily in the book.
A women’s organisation even went to the extent of filing an FIR against the author Vishnu Wagh and the publisher Hema Naik, alleging that Wagh’s pomes contain derogatory language against women.
Wagh who has been ailing for over a year has been a literary giant in Goa; apart from his political avatar, he is a fervent champion of the Bhandari community.
The BJP vice-president further said that his party was very supportive of the book as it was released by Manohar Parrikar himself.
“Moreover, the book was released by Manohar Parrikar himself. Wagh should not be targeted as other veteran writers like Pundalik Naik, Damodar Mauzo and others have used such language in their literature to make it more realistic. Then why few poems of author Vishnu Wagh are selectively targeted?” Hoble questioned.
