New Delhi, June 3
The controversial changes at
the helm of the National Museum and Lalit Kala Akademi are the
government's attempt to bring in new talent and there is no attempt at
"saffronisation", Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma has
assserted.
"We took the decision to change the heads of
institutions in the interest of the organisations, not individuals,"
Sharma told IANS in an interview, adding that his ministry worked in the
interest of organisations rather than individuals.
Denying
allegations of imposing a "cultural cadre" of the government's choice,
Sharma said the "so called intellectuals", who lacked faith in the
democratic system were behind such baseless charges.
"The
intellectuals who have gone to court against the government have no
faith in the democratic system. We took the decision to change the heads
of institutions in the interest of the organisations, not individuals.
Where is the question of saffronisation? In the Akademi, we have given
charge to an additional secretary. If he is saffronised, every
bureaucrat in the government is saffronised," Sharma maintained in
response to charges that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
was trying to bring in Hindu nationalists to head key cultural bodies at
the behest of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).
Reacting to
allegations that the government was meddling in the affairs of some
premier cultural institutions, Sharma said that his ministry was not
going to "blindly follow" the previous government and was looking to
induct the best possible talent.
"We don't follow blindly what
the previous government was doing. We are here to challenge the status
quo. We are always looking for the best," he added.
The ministry
has been in the eye of a storm over the abrupt transfers of National
Museum head Venu Vasudevan and Lalit Kala Akademi chief Kalyan Kumar
Chakravarty.
Defending the government's taking over Lalit Kala
Akademi, an autonomous body under the culture ministry, Sharma said this
was based on complaints about its mismanagement.
"There is a
process of upgrading and addressing issues of the Akademi. We have
received many complaints of mismanagement, embezzlement of funds and
misappropriation from a section of artists and we acted upon it,"
Sharma.
A group of artists has moved the Delhi High Court
accusing the government of "trying to change the character" of the
Akademi. Sharma said that he would not give importance to the complaint.
"I
am not going to give importance to people like Ashok Vajpeyi who
officially called (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi the Godhra murderer,"
said Sharma. Vajpeyi, a noted Hindi poet, was the Akademi's chairman
from 2008 to 2011.
Vasudevan's overnight transfer also invited
scathing attacks from many quarters. Vasudevan, who revived the National
Museum with many innovative and ambitious plans, was transferred to the
sports ministry in April.
Sharma maintained that the transfer
was a routine administrative process. "We have nothing against Venu
Vasudevan. He was appointed as an administrator and was doing good work.
However, we were always on the lookout for better people who have more
technical experience related to museums," said Sharma.
Vasudevan,
whose tenure was to expire in December 2016, was shunted without being
given any specific reason. While the advertisement for Vasudevan's
replacement was issued only his transfer, Sharma said the "right person"
had already been identified.
"Yes, we have advertised for the
position and have identified the right person with more technical
experience and expertise of museums," said Sharma.
However, the
future of many ambitious projects that were in the pipeline is in a
limbo after Vasudevan's exit. Protesting his transfer, Ashok Vajpeyi,
historian Romila Thapar and art critic Ranjit Hoskote have initiated an
online petition that is likely to be submitted to President Pranab
Mukherjee.
Eyebrows were also raised when Dipali Khanna did not
get a second term as the Member Secretary of the Indira Gandhi National
Centre of Arts (IGNCA).
Khanna had given IGNCA a new lease of
life by initiating many successful programmes and exhibitions. "This
decision is also a part of the government's plan to introduce changes.
We are looking to fill the position and will soon find one," said
Sharma.
Earlier this year, noted danseuse Leela Sampson had quit
as the censor board chief after its decision against a film was
overturned by an appealate tribunal. The censor board comes under the
information and broadcasting ministry.
(Preetha Nair can be contacted at [email protected] )
