The politics over surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army at the Line of Control, cow vigilantism and the all-important Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, among others, have become subjects of Dhanbad litterateur Anil Pandey's poems.

Pandey (60), a former Congressman who is well known for his welfare work among the members of the backward Gulgulia community in the district, will showcase his collection of 100 poems at an exhibition to be held at Lodna More on Wednesday.

The Hindi poems, written in the last two months, are in the form of couplets.

"I was quite saddened over some of the recent developments like the controversy over the surgical strikes and cow vigilantism, which is harming the secular fabric of the country. So, I decided to make my views public and also make others aware of the politics being played over these issues," said Pandey.

The poet, who writes columns for several vernacular dailies, said his poems were critical of those who were demanding evidence of the Army's surgical strikes.

"My poems are not only critical of BJP and its policies but also of those who are questioning our soldiers," he added.

Pandey, who is a former district president of Youth Congress in Dhanbad and had worked actively for the party from 1971 to 2014, maintained that development could not happen by dividing society.

"There are 26 poems in my collection that focuses on the importance of maintaining social harmony in the society," he said, adding that 27 poems were on cow vigilantism, and 37 on surgical strikes.

Pandey had also represented through his poems the " khat" politics of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who has been organising "Khat Sabhas" (charpoy meetings) in different parts of Uttar Pradesh to interact with farmers and discuss their problems in the run-up to next year's Assembly elections. Pandey had written 10 poems on Gandhi's "Khat Sabhas".

The poet said he would organise exhibitions of his poems in other parts of the district as well.

"I am even planning to sell my poems in the form of booklets and collect funds to help the children of Gulgulia community," he added.

Pandey had also authored a short story collection Koyla Khazano Se Samvedna Ke Swar and also a novel Aao Collieryiyon Wale Gaon Chalen sometime in 1980s, where he had highlighted the pitiable condition of the miners.

This apart, he had also penned two poem collections Shabdon Ke Aaine Mein Do Shahar and Jhumar Wala Aaaya in the 90s.

The litterateur has been working for the economically and socially backward Gulgulia community since 2009 through his NGO Samast Samarpan Foundation.

He also runs a school in the beggars' colony in Jharia where he teaches children belonging to the community.