New Delhi: Noted Kannada literary personality and Jnanpith awardee UR Ananthamurthy has found a voice of support in veteran actress Shabana Azmi after he was targeted by the supporters of Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi. The actress said that the PM-elect must control the fringe groups who threaten and abuse.
Defending the writer, Azmi said, "He has every right to say whatever he has to say." Azmi also added that it would be a tough task to get hold of the fringe mobs in the society.
"Modi himself is speaking a moderate language. He is talking about bringing everyone together. But what about the lunatic fringe that is around. It is not easy to bring them back to the box considering that they have run free for all this long," Azmi said.
Ananthamurthy was on Wednesday given police security after the writer claimed that he was getting threat calls by a group called the NaMo brigade. He had also been sent two one way tickets to Karachi by the group.
Ananthamurthy had gone on record to say that he would leave the country if Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister of India. However, he had later clarified that those remarks were made when he was overcome by emotion and said that he had no such plan. "It was too much to say because I can't go anywhere except India," Ananthamurthy had said.
