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Rediff.com  » News » I was not sacked: Sonal Mansingh

I was not sacked: Sonal Mansingh

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Last updated on: June 21, 2005 21:55 IST
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Former chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sonal Mansingh claimed that she was not been sacked and that Ram Niwas Mirdha, who succeeded her, merely replaced her.

Mirdha was appointed as the new chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi on June 6.

Addressing a news conference in the Press Club in New Delhi on Tuesday, Mansingh claimed that efforts to ease her out had begun in October last year after Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet wrote a signed article in People's Democracy wherein he named Mansingh along with others as political appointees and dubbed them as Bhartiya Janata Party plants to saffaronise the organisation.

Mansingh kept options open to initiate court proceedings against Surjeet for calling her a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh appointee.

"Let me think. Wait and watch," was her reply to a question whether she would approach court, like actor Anupam Kher, who initiated proceedings against Surjeet for his article. He has since withdrawn the suit.

"Let me clarify that I was merely replaced by a new appointee, Ram Niwas Mirdha, as pointed out in the official letter from the Ministry of Culture, which said the President of India is pleased to appoint Mirdha in my place. If my appointment was political, so is the appointment of Mirdha," she said.

She denied allegations against her that she was autocratic, high handed and undemocratic in her style of functioning. She denied that many top artistes holding positions in Sangeet Natak Akademi were not happy with her and hence they tendered their resignation as a sign of protest.

"I wanted to hold a condolence meeting on the death of carnatic legend M S Subbulakshmi, but the officials of the organisation scuttled the move. I was shocked to find that we did not have even footage of M S Subbulakshmi in the archives," she alleged.

She alleged that some officials of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, including the secretary, were involved in embezzlement in the institution, which has an annual budget of Rs 8 crore.

"I demand that the new chariman investigate the matter and punish the guilty," she said.

She admitted that the Bhartiya Janata Party had used her photograph in some of its posters during the last general elections. She claimed that the act was totally unauthorised and the party leadership accepted it mistake and removed her picture after she verbally complained about it.

Sonal Mannsingh was appointed chairperson on December 19, 2003 for a period of five years.

(With PTI inputs)

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Onkar Singh in New Delhi
 
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