State cultural minister Vinod Tawde on Sunday said that he has approached Doordarshan to check if Marathi Sahitya Sammelan can be aired on DD for free.
State cultural minister Vinod Tawde on Sunday said that he has approached Doordarshan to check if Marathi Sahitya Sammelan can be aired on DD for free. Earlier, the minister had come under criticism by the Opposition for rejecting the Sammelan’s demand for free airtime on Doordarshan.
Mr Tawde said that he has spoken with Doordarshan authorities. “Spoke to DG Delhi and Director Mumbai. Decision to be done tomorrow but DD is positive on it. Spoke to Mukesh Sharma also and sent a letter to DD on behalf of the ministry. DG Delhi gave positive response. They check out technical and logistics aspect regarding Live telecast of Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in two days,” he said on Twitter.
Earlier, the minister had rejected the demand for free telecast of the literary meet scheduled this year at Ghuman in Punjab. “It is very painful that the Marathi litterateurs ask for free services from the government. These freebies should be stopped. The government gives them Rs 25 lakh every year and all possible help. However, the meet should not befoul with the demands of free services,” Mr Tawde had said.
The culture minister even advised the litterateurs to market the literary meet in a way that the organisers are able to sell its telecast rights to Doordarshan and private channels to raise money.
The Congress termed his comments shocking and insulting. “Literary meets are not organised to raise money. Mr Tawde’s sympathy towards Marathi language is false,” state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.
“If every small programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visits are shown live on Doordarshan and private channels then why not Sahitya Sammelan when it is our culture Maharashtra has always remained a centre for cultural activities and nothing is wrong in asking the government to show the sammelan for free on the channel. It is the right of the litterateurs,” Mr Sawant said.
