CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury today remembered that “The protest of returning the awards had started with stalwarts like Rabindranath Tagore.” The CPI leader thanked Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu for grouping the Left. Taking a swipe at BJP for claiming that the Left was behind the return of awards by the Scholars and others over ‘Growing Intolerance’. Tagore was the person who had first started such a form of protest.

Responding to Naidu’s charges, the protesters were a joint campaign by the Congress and Left-leaning intellectuals. He said, “the return of State awards as a form of protest is nothing new.” “Recollect that Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore returned his knighthood in protest against the atrocities of the British colonial rule in India. We are thankful to Shri Venkaiah Naidu Garu for bracketing the most exalted and enlightened Indian minds with the CPI(M).”

During the period of freedom struggle, this has happened on many occasions. In the same way, Sitaram said that “when it comes to saying that, in the past why did they not protest and why they are protesting now.” He also questioned that the RSS has to answer why it did not join the national struggle for freedom? Sitaram Yechury also said that “Nanaji Deshmukh, an RSS leader, has asked in his book why the RS had not participated in the freedom movement as it was an organization?”

According to the British Home record, on the basis of intelligence reports telegraphed to London by the Bombay Police department, had noted that the Sangh has “scrupulously” remained within the law. Sitaram asked that “Despite participating in the freedom movement, RSS cooperated with the British during the course.” Sardar Patel has ordered the ban on the RSS saying “the cult of violence spearheaded by the Sangh that had claimed many lives including Mahatma Gandhi.”

Sitaram said, “till date, RSS has not retracted for their Guru Madhav Sadhashiv’s observation and India should learn and profit.” Sitaram at last stated that “while the issue was being raised in Parliament from the first session since Narendra Modi government took office, till date they have forgotten to take any action, no assurance has been forthcoming from the Prime Minister.”