Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday supported the move of naming the main podium of the Annual Marathi Literary Meet, scheduled to be held in Chiplun from January 11, after the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.
“You may not agree with his politics, but you cannot deny his contribution to the state,” Pawar said, referring to the opposition that naming the podium after Thackeray received.
Pawar further said that there was nothing wrong in funding the festival as there was a need to encourage those promoting literature, even if the state is witnessing a drought situation.
Some activists, including Pushpa Bhave, criticised the organisers of the festival for naming the main podium after Thackeray.
According to Bhave, the late Sena chief had insulted many Marathi authors in the past in language that was uncalled for and so, she was opposed to it.
