Mahasweta Devi apologises to Vijayan

“I told people in Kerala that Vijayan should come out of his mansion and mix with people. But I found that my information was wrong and Vijayan lives in a modest house and not a mansion. I have also heard that he was upset about my remark. So today I have written to him apologising for my comments,’’ Mahasweta Devi told The Indian Express.

When contacted in Kerala,Vijayan said,“I wrote in my open letter which was carried by all the media in Kerala that Mahasweta Devi was most welcome to my house. It is for all see what kind of house I stay in. Now Mahasweta Devi has understood her mistake and that is most welcome.”

Earlier,in a reply to Mahasweta Devi’s comments,Vijayan had said that many of the opinions raised by her were not based on facts,including the comment that he was living in a mansion inaccessible to party workers.

“My house is not a mansion nor are its doors closed to anyone. I have renovated the house with the party’s permission. It is in my native village and not in an island. I invite you to the house so that you can see for yourself,” he said.

On CPM Idukki district secretary M M Mani’s recent speech in which he criticised the writer for visiting Chandrasekharan’s house,Vijayan said the party had already made it clear that it could not endorse Mani’s views.

Mahasweta Devi had asked Vijayan about Mani’s comments on her and asked him what she did to invite such comments. “I see this crude and uncouth character spitting venom on me,” she said.

She had also appealed to writers,film-makers and cultural workers in Kerala to protest against Chandrasekharan’s murder.

Vijayan said a section of the media and political enemies had launched an all-out attack on his party since the murder of the RMP leader. However,they were turning a blind eye when CPM workers were getting killed,he said in the letter.

He reminded the writer about West Bengal after the Left Front government was overthrown. Newspapers were being banned in reading rooms and the Trinamool Congress had killed 65 CPM workers since it came to power,he alleged.

Vijayan asked the writer to acknowledge the role of the CPM in bringing about social change in Kerala and shed her “misunderstandings” about Communists.