Hinting at the “intolerance” in Gujarat society towards freedom of speech and expression, noted social analyst and thinker Ashis Nandy today said the state with its booming economy and prosperity can potentially be a China, but it can never be like Europe.

He said this on the sidelines of a function to release a four-volume translated version of a biography of Mahatma Gandhi, originally penned by Narayan Desai in Gujarati. Ahmedabad-based social scientist Tridip Suhrud has done the English translation.

It may be noted here that in 2008, a complaint of sedition was lodged against Nandy with the Satellite police station following an article in connection with the 2002 riots. In the article, he had criticised the Gujarati middle class over the statewide communal riots.

“For certain things to happen, a certain atmosphere needs to be there. In the absence of such atmosphere, Gujarat will be only like China and it can never be like Europe,” Nandy told Newsline. “Free flow of ideas is mandatory for any state to become a thriving cultural sphere. But in Gujarat, freedom of speech is not allowed to be practiced,” he added.

He went on to say that he believed Gujarat has disowned Mahatma Gandhi. “Gandhi represents the idea of dissent. He was allowed to dissent by states like South Africa and the United Kingdom. But here in Gandhi’s own land, no voice of dissent is being tolerated.”

He said the intolerance is evident by the fact that many works of art and expressions are banned in Gujarat.

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