Sushma pooh-poohs criticism

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 29. ``Saddened'' by what she described as an ``unnecessary controversy'' generated around the latest National Film Awards, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, today said the ``baseless, malicious and untrue'' allegations had damaged the reputation of the awards.

Briefing mediapersons here, the Minister sought to counter every charge that has been levelled against the jury by members who had protested either by resigning, walking out or airing dissent.

Pooh-poohing their objections, Ms. Swaraj said the presence of Mr. Pradeep Krishen, Mr. Shashi Anand - the two who resigned - and Mr. Dhritiman Chaterji, who has put in a note of dissent, on the jury nullified their charge that the jury was ``saffronised''.

``If our agenda was to saffronise the selection process, then why have only four people with links - direct or remote - to the Sangh Parivar on the jury?''

The Minister questioned the tendency to deride anyone having links with the Sangh. ``When people with established links with the Left or the Congress can be on the jury, why are BJP sympathisers disqualified? It was the Congress which nominated Ms. Vyjayantimala Bali to the Rajya Sabha. But when she was made chairperson of the jury by this Government, she suddenly has no credentials to head it just because she happens to be with the BJP now!''

Similarly, she questioned the controversy kicked up over the presence of Ms. Nibedita Pradhan, a BJP MLA from Orissa, on the jury. ``Mr. T. Subbarami Reddy of the Congress could head the jury twice, but Ms. Pradhan's inclusion is being challenged.'' She said the MLA represented the region and women.

About the inclusion of Mr. Tarun Vijay, the editor of the RSS mouthpiece `Panchajanya', Ms. Swaraj said: ``Mr. Vijay has been an accredited film critic for five years. He has also worked with Mr. Basu Bhattacharya.''

Further, the Minister denied that Ms. Raveena Tandon - declared Best Actress for her role in `Daman' - had ever campaigned for the BJP and that Ms. Parvati Indushekhar, a jury member, had been her campaign manager in Bellary.

Trying to take the battle into the court of her detractors, Ms. Swaraj questioned why it took them almost 20 days to quit.

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