Sethu quits as NBT chairman, ex-editor of Panchajanya to replace him

KANNUR: Eminent Malayalam writer Sethu quit as chairman of National Book Trust amidst rumours that BJP-led NDA government at the Centre would axe him. Baldev Sharma, former editor of RSS mouthpiece Panchajanya, is tipped to be the new chairman.
Sethu had six months left to complete his tenure. Sethu said he could not complete all that he had in mind at NBT as the changed political climate necessitated his last gambit.But there was no official demand from the government in this connection, he said.
"When a new government comes to power, they make some changes and here also there were some indications that they wanted a change at the helm of the NBT as well," he told TOI.
It was on September 6, 2012 that Sethu was appointed NBT chairman by the UPA government and his resignation comes at a time when he has six months left to complete his three-year tenure. Two days back the resignation was submitted and the official acceptance came on Monday, he said.
But this has not gone well with the writer fraternity. This is part of the step towards the continuing saffronisation of cultural institutions, said poet K Satchidanandan, who termed it as a retrograde act that needs to be resented.
"The appointment of the ex-editor of the RSS organ, Panchajanya, is another step towards the saffronisation of our public institutions of culture," he said. "This follows the appointment of Sudarshan Shastry, an RSS ideologue, as the chairman of ICHR. The agenda is very clear - to turn all cultural bodies into the mouthpieces of the Hindutva ideology."
Sethu's exit is a major loss to the NBT, said writer M Mukundan. "He had brought in many positive changes within the establishment to take it to an international level, and if he had continued there, he could have done many important things for the NBT," he opined.