Bangalore: Yesterday in the Karnataka Assembly session, former CM HD Kumaraswamy criticised the arrests of poets, writers, and teachers who wrote or spoke against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
He questioned the Yeddyurappa government, for arresting Siraj Bisaralli, a Kannada poet. and writer. Bisarali was arrested for reciting a poem against CAA and NRC poem in a poet´s meet during the ´Anegundi festival´ in the Gangavati town of Koppal district of North Karnataka.
‘Anegundi Utsav’ was held by the Kannada and Culture Department in association with the district administration on Jan 9-10. Siraj Bisaralli shared the poem on social networking sites. Raja Baxi, an editor of an online portal, Kannadanet.com uploaded the video of his recitation on YouTube and other sites. He was also arrested.
The poem asks some questions like- when the prime minister Modi will furnish his records for the CAA?
HD Kumaraswamy also questioned the arrests of a teacher and the principal of the school for writing a play on CAA in Shaheen School in Bidar district of Karnataka.
The police action of keeping a young mother in detention and questioning small children multiple times for long hours was also heavily criticised.
Kumaraswamy said- Don’t run the government to make someone happy. BJP government has proved by its actions that it is anti-Muslim, anti-Dalit and anti Women.
In both the Bidar and Gangavathi cases, the cases were booked at the behest of BJP and its youth wing leaders, who themselves declared the poems and plays as anti-national.
He stated earlier examples where poets have written even more critical poetry, but there were no cases of sedition on them, instead, they were applauded.
He stated the example of Poet Nisar Ahmed, who wrote a poem about politicians called “Kurigalu Sir Kurigalu”, which called people as sheep who follow the politicians.
He also gave the example of Gopal Krishna Adiga, who wrote a poem against then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru called “Nehru Nivruttaraguvudilla” meaning ´Nehru never retires´. These poets were not put in jails or were harassed by police and government.
Why is this government so afraid of small poems and plays? He questioned.
He recited Siraj Bisaralli´s poem to show his discontent with the government overreach. The translated version of the poem is below-
*When will you show your Documents*
In the queue of Aadhar and ration cards
With thumb impressions and foolery of servers
People are losing their livelihood
You, demanding their documents
When will you show your documents?
Hey you, tearing the pages of history
Of those who sacrificed their lives to free the nation
Of those martyred who wanted whose names went unknown
When will you show your documents?
You, demanding the papers of the Taj
Of the Char Minar, of the Gumbaz
Of the Qutub Minar and of the Red Fort,
When will you show your documents?
The pimps who boot-licked the British
Now drinking the intoxicated blood of religious hatred
You, the descendant of the Goebbels,
When will you show your documents?
In my town, those selling Pakoda and Tea
To make a living, haven’t sold their humanity
Haven’t sold their Self-esteem, haven’t sold falsified stories
Tell me, when will you show your documents?
Who pumped the punctured tires
And brought them on roads,
Never sold their selves
But you, who sold the nation
When will you show your documents?
For you, who deceived the countrymen,
Duping the papers is no big a deal
But, when will you show the documents?
Of humanity in you, if at all there is.
