Reddy counters Left, says Ministry roadmap ready

Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Culture Jaipal Reddy spent close to three hours today trying to counter the Left’s charge ...

Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Culture Jaipal Reddy spent close to three hours today trying to counter the Left’s charge that his Ministry was doing precious little to celebrate writer Munshi Premchand 125th birth anniversary.

Reddy has not only set up a committee, of which he happens to be the chairman, he also clarified that the writer’s anniversary falls on July 25, 2005. In other words, the Left’s criticism was unwarranted.

In a letter to Reddy, the Left intellectuals had wondered if he was still ‘‘working under a hangover of the previous regime’’. The reason for the outburst: The Ministry of Culture had not got back to them after saying that it would give Rs 40,000 to help preserve the writer’s memory. Reddy had retorted that money was not the issue.

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Reddy today met with senior Culture Ministry and I&B Ministry officials, and chartered a roadmap to celebrate the writer’s anniversary.

To begin with, the Ministry’s plans include refurbishment of Munshi Prem Chand’s home at Lamhi in Uttar Pradesh. Seminars and films made on the writer’s novels and stories and theatre performances based on the same will also be shown.

The committee also discussed the modalities to disseminate the literary works of Munshi to the general public.

Other members on the committee also suggested naming a street after the writer and installing a statue in the Capital. These are suggestions which will be taken up by the committee at a later date.