Writer took Rs 15 lakh to return award: BJP MP

Assam BJP MP Rameshwar Teli here on Tuesday created a major controversy by claiming that noted litterateurs who returned the Sahitya Akademi award were paid Rs 15 lakh or even more to do so. However, the BJP MP took a U-turn and tendered an unconditional apology soon after Mr Teli’s remark was highlighted in the local media, attributing it against noted Assamese litterateur and journalist Homen Borgohain.

Mr Borgohain had recently returned his Sahitya Akademi award, which was given to him in 1978 for his novel Pita Putra.

The BJP MP who went on accusing the litterateurs of playing into the hands of Congress leaders also claimed that it was a planned conspiracy of the Congress to defame the BJP government.

He was very categorical in his remark in a televised press conference and said that most of the litterateurs who returned their award got it during the Congress regime.

Mr Teli, known for his clean image, is a tea-tribe leader and represent Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency. He became MP by defeating Congress stalwart and noted tea-tribe leader Pawan Singh Ghatowar in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Though, Mr Teli in an obvious attempt to rescue himself from the controversy, begged an apology from the people of the state as well, the local media quoted him saying, “Mr Borgohain took '10 to '15 lakhs from the Congress party and returned the award worth Rs 1 lakh.”