CPI leader D Raja slams Subramanian Swamy's remarks

Kannur: CPI leader D Raja Monday termed as "outrageous" BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's reported statement that books of Nehruvian historians should be set afire and said that it "reflects the mindset of fascist right".

"It is an outrageous...Atrocious statement. People who believe in democratic principles must stand up against this kind of attack on academic freedom," Raja said referring to Swamy's reported statement at a a seminar organised by the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Itihaas Sankalan Yojana (ABISY) on 'A Forgotten Hindu Emperor, Maharaja Hemchandra Vikramaditya'.

Recalling the incidents of burning the Jaffna Public Library by "fascism-inspired mob of Sinhalese origin" during the Sri Lankan civil war in 1981, Raja said academicians had always been the target of right wing fascist forces and said that ever since the BJP has come to power, "they have been very offensive" in the country.

"They (right wing facists) not only try to dictate the policies of the government but also take on themselves against any academic work which doesn't go in tune with them," the CPI national secretary said.

Books written by "Nehruvian historians" such as Bipin Chandra and Romila Thapar should be set afire, Swamy reportedly said after the complaint of ABISY that these historians had ignored many Hindu historical figures by design.