NEW DELHI: Congress and NCP today criticised Union minister V K Singh for his reported remarks against writers and authors on the eve of the 10th World Hindi Conference, with the Sharad Pawar-led party demanding that he "be sacked forthwith".
"Singh should be sacked forthwith from the Ministry for his indecent and objectionable remarks against writers and authors," NCP spokesman D P Tripathi told reporters.
Whatever the minister said was an "insult" to writers and scholars, he said.
Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza demanded that Singh apologise for his objectionable remarks. "Whatever the minister has said against writers is very unfortunate. We deplore his conduct and demand that he should apologise for his remarks against the literary world," she said.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Singh, whose Ministry organised the conference in Bhopal from September 10 to September 12, had reportedly said some of the participants at the event's previous editions came just for the food and liquor and that such authors had not been invited this time.
The minister has, however, said that he was quoted out of context.
NCP leader Tripathui claimed that this kind of attitude of the organisers saw top writers including Gyanpith award winner Kedar Nath Singh as also parliamentarians who write in Hindi not being invited to the conference this time.