‘Award wapsi’ movement gets over with Bihar polls, says Naqvi

Claiming that the recent campaign by various authors and artistes involving return of awards over the issue of so-called rising intolerance in the country was “politically-motivated”, Union minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday said the “award wapsi movement” had ended with the conclusion of the Bihar assembly polls.

Claiming that the recent campaign by various authors and artistes involving return of awards over the issue of so-called rising intolerance in the country was “politically-motivated”, Union minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday said the “award wapsi movement” had ended with the conclusion of the Bihar assembly polls.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Talking to mediapersons after attending a private function at Meham in the district, Naqvi said, “The drama of returning awards over rising intolerance was fabricated and the issue is over after the Bihar elections.”

DEFENDS PM’S FOREIGN VISITS

Reacting to Opposition parties’ criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign tours, he said, “The Prime Minister’s tours have brought positive results and his visits to several countries have turned the negativity around India’s image at the international level into positivity.”

He added, “The PM’s foreign tours have also given a signal of development and prosperity. The perception of e people about the country is changing and the government has brought transparency in the system.”

ON ANTI-COW SLAUGHTER LAW

To a question about the law enacted by the BJP government in Haryana to prevent cow slaughter, Naqvi said, “It depends on sentiments of the people of a particular state and the government acts according to the people’s feelings.”