Yavatmal: The 92nd Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan could not remain free of controversies on the opening day as Nayantara Sahgal “remained present” through demonstrations, references and an open condemnation of withdrawal of her invitation.The event did have its historic moments as Vaishali Yede, a farm widow from Kalamb taluka of Yavatmal, delivered the inaugural speech in place of Sehgal. Yede took a swipe at the irony that the moment created. “Finally a widow was called to perform an auspicious duty like inaugurating the session.”Amid a thundering applause that she got from the audience, Vaishali added that at a literary meet “a galliwali was preferred over Dilliwali”, making an oblique reference to her replacing Sehgal.Speaking of her traumas, Vaishali said she had learnt to use her hands for making own destiny instead of putting them before an astrologer to know the future. Addressing the writers at the meet, Vaishali said, “You write about our sad stories, make films and stage dramas showing our plight and also win awards for it. But, you have never tried to form a direct connect with us.”The meet was disrupted briefly when two women wearing masks of Sahgal entered the venue. They were whisked away by cops, but only after the SP of Yavatmal M Raj Kumar intervened. Copies of full text of Sahgal’s speech were also distributed by unknown persons at the venue.It was the outgoing president of the sahitya sammelan Laxmikant Deshmukh who took the lurking issue by the horns and said the manner in which Sahgal was uninvited shamed him. In a strongly worded speech, Deshmukh said, “This entire episode has sullied the progressive image of Maharashtra. Terming Sahgal as the moral voice of writers, Deshmukh said the incident has caused damage to tolerant and sensitive mindset for which Maharashtra was known.Education and cultural affairs minister Vinod Tawde was greeted with slogans of “nishedh” as he got up to deliver speech after Deshmukh. Addressing the issues raised by the outgoing chairman, Tawde said government of Maharashtra did not appreciate the manner in which Sahgal’s invite was withdrawn. In a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tawde said, “But... I also want to remind that when a chief minister of a state in India was invited to deliver a lecture in a US ministry, why did some of the intellectuals write to the US saying he should be denied visa. At that time too, it should have been condemned. Why should there be selective intolerance?”In her address, the chairperson of the literary meet Aruna Dhere said the entire controversy around Sahgal was uncalled for. “This literary meet is a sacred occasion and it should not be allowed to be defiled by threats given by disruptive forces,” she said.Earlier in the morning, 450 students from various schools and colleges of Yavatmal took part in a procession. Yavatmal Municipal Council president Kanchan Chaudhary and chairperson of the lit fest Aruna Dhere and other dignitaries carried the ‘granth dindi’. Dandar and Dhimsa folk dances were presented by artistes while a police band played as the procession went around the venue. Guardian minister of Yavatmal Madan Yerawar was present at the ceremony.Members of the District Congress Committee sat on a silent protest near the venue. “We are not against the Marathi sahitya sammelan. We are protesting the arbitrary manner in which the invitation to Nayantara Sahgal was withdrawn,” said Dr Wajahat Mirza, DCC chief who was accompanied by former education minister Vasantrao Purke, former zilla parishad president Rahul Thakre and chief of DCC women’s wing Madhuri Arate.

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