New Delhi:
Hours after he left jail, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi spoke on the phone to
ndtv.com. Here's what he told NDTV (His answers have been translated to English):
NDTV: Do you believe that cartoons that show Parliament as a toilet bowl, for example, go too far?
Aseem Trivedi: Absolutely not. I am a firm believer in the fact that if you want people to listen to you, you've got to raise your voice. And that's what I did. I showed what's really happening in our country. The situation is very bad. And I wanted the government to take notice.
NDTV: Does freedom of speech and expression come with certain checks and balances and do you believe you followed those?
Aseem Trivedi: Yes, I think so. See, I cannot stop telling the truth if it hurts someone's feelings. For example, there have been allegations against our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he is weak. Now it doesn't matter if he is hurt by these allegations, truth is truth. And that's what I showed - our Parliament has become a public toilet, corruption is at its peak and governance is not good.
NDTV: What made you decide to accept bail?
Aseem Trivedi: The High Court, our Home Minister, and everyone urged me so I agreed to accept bail. But I won't defend myself in court. There is no question of putting up a sedition charge against me. They will have to drop those charges.
NDTV: How will you campaign now against the archaic sedition law?
Aseem Trivedi: Well, we are talking about that. Actually we are planning to launch a campaign and talks are going on.