Tamil writer
Perumal Murugan's image used on a promotional banner for BJP's
Jhuggi Samman Yatra
in New Delhi has raised eyebrows. None of those involved in the process
BJP functionaries, people who designed the banner or the printer was aware of the witer's identity.
Perumal Murugan, who had faced threats in the past from right wing groups for his novel 'Mathorubagan (One Part Woman)' based on the struggle of a couple to beget a child in a society troubled by caste divide, was surprised when he came to know that he has been featured in the BJP's banner. "I guess they had taken my photo from the internet. Apparently, they were not aware of my identity," Murugan told TOI.
The poster, however, did not name him and had his image as a collage with a group of people belonging to various age groups purportedly portraying them as people living in slums. Perumal Murugan is a native of Namakkal district and resides in the town.
BJP held the Jhuggi Samman Yatra to reach out to slum dwellers in Delhi as part of the party's campaign in the run up to the civic polls in the capital.
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