Close on the heels of CPI(M)’s poster boy and poster girl – Srichithran and Deepa Nishanth — having landed in an ugly controversy of plagiarism, evidence has surfaced that another Kerala Left intellectual has indulged in the ‘wholesale lifting’ of a researcher’s work for his book. In an article titled Moshtikkanayi mathram pusthakam vayikkunna oru professor (A professor who reads only to steal), Ravishankar S Nair claimed that about 85% of Sunil P Elayidam’s Anubhuthikalude Chrithra Jeevanam has been copied and translated from Bharatanatyam: A Reader, authored by Davesh Soneji.
According to Nair, Sunil has indulged in “shameless plagiarism”. “He had not only copied the ideas, but small and big paragraphs have been lifted and written them in his own words. About 85% of his book’s content is stolen from the English book.”
Sunil is the most prominent Left intellectual in the state. He spearheaded the anti-Sabarimala campaign of the CPI(M). Through his speeches “full of discrepancies and misquotes and mischievous quotes”, he tried to revive the old faultlines in the society with the evil design of the Hindu community. A noted intellectual said Sunil was unearthing buried ghosts of the past to create chaos and anarchy in the society. Nair’s allegation is a serious blow to his public standing as an author and orator.
Critics say Sunil is a Islamist apologist who is indirectly serving them by projecting Hindu Dharma in poor light. In a widely circulate video, he says, “Although both political Hinduism and political Islam are equally dangerous, my uncompromising war is against political Hinduism.” Noted Muslim intellectual Prof MN Karassery has recently alleged that many Left-Marxist intellectuals/authors were on the payrolls of Islamist forces. According to a journalist, one doesn’t have a proof to suggest Sunil is also a beneficiary but one can vouchsafe that he is a darling of extremist Islamic elements in Kerala. Islamists often use his critique of Hinduism and Sangh Parivar.
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