Returning of awards 'politically motivated move'

LUCKNOW: Vice Chairman of National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) Mazaffar Hussain today termed as "politically motivated move" the returning of awards by writers raising the issue of intolerance and questioned why the phenomenon has stopped after Bihar elections.

"The returning of awards was not justified. It was a politically motivated move. It raises a lot of questions and one is that why it has stopped immediately after Bihar polls and country becoming tolerant," Hussain told reporters.

"First they approach to get awards and then return them. Tomorrow they will again say that they want it back," he said, adding if someone asks me to return Padma Shri, it would be hypocrisy.

Asked whether the move of returning awards was politically motivated, Hussain said, "Everything now a days is politically motivated. Even conversations between husband and wife are politically influenced."

Stating that "social media" was a threat to vernacular journalism, Hussain said now instead of reading newspapers people use Whatsapp and other means to get news.

"This is not a good trend for vernacular journalism," he said.