West Bengal Governor Mr. Keshari Nath Tripathi today said a section of authors returning Sahitya Akademi awards in protest against what they described as "rising religious intolerance" in the society is politically motivated.<br/><br/>Questioning the "sudden awakening" of the authors, Mr. Tripathi hinted towards a political configuration behind the decision.<br/><br/>Mr. Tripathi's comments come a day after about 100 intellectuals and authors from the state on Wednesday wrote to President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, seeking that the Narendra Modi government take a tough stand against fundamentalists.<br/><br/>Condemning the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, leftist Govind Pansare and scholar M.M. Kalburgi, the intellectuals including the likes of eminent poets Shankha Ghosh and Nabaneeta Dev Sen expressed deep concern over the rising communal polarisation and intolerance in the country.