Noted theatre personality Arvind Gaur has criticised the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi for its decision to choose topics for theatre festivals this year.

In an open letter to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Gaur said the move sets wrong precedence and paves the way for future governments to force their agenda. Gaur said he has been active in Delhi for 32 years, and that no other government had ever imposed itself on art in such a manner.

He was a member of the India Against Corruption movement and part of social activist Anna Hazare’s team.

Recently, the Sahitya Kala Parishad, the cultural wing of the Delhi government, had issued an advertisement seeking entries for two theatre festivals – the Bharatmuni Rang Samaroh and Yuva Natya Samaroh. Laying out the guidelines for participants, the government had said that the plays should only be based on certain topics, such as women’s empowerment, human rights and education. The advertisement had carried a picture of Sisodia.

Earlier on Monday, Gaur had said that the government cannot dictate content. “Why will the government control my artistic expression?” he had said, according to The Times of India.

Although he clarified that he does not think the government’s topics were not worthy, he stressed that the problem was with prohibiting theatre groups from choosing their own subjects. “We, as artists, know our responsibility, and we understand the social, cultural and political milieu,” he said. “You cannot dictate content.”

Gaur also challenged Sisodia to “an open debate” on the topic. He said: “We will definitely discuss why the government should not guide us in choosing our subjects. We are professionals, we are intelligent enough to know what is right and what is wrong.”

He said Sisodia had replied to his tweet on WhatsApp. “He replied on WhatsApp and asked that if the government wants to use artists or theatre groups for their agendas, or to make them talk about their campaigns, what is the problem?” Gaur said, adding that theatre was not the right medium for it even though there was nothing wrong with that.

“You can have workshops or other campaigns to propagate your agenda,” he said. “We are not against their agenda, we are against the idea of the government restricting our autonomy.”