Congress distances itself from Chidambaram's Rushdie book ban remark

Congress has distanced itself from former Union minister P Chidambaram's statement that the ban imposed on Salman Rushdie's controversial novel - The Satanic Verses - during the regime of former PM Rajiv Gandhi was wrong.

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Kamal Nath
Congress leader Kamal Nath

Congress has distanced itself from former Union minister P Chidambaram's statement that the ban imposed on Salman Rushdie's controversial novel - The Satanic Verses - during the regime of former PM Rajiv Gandhi was wrong.

Also Read | Chidambaram on Congress faux pas: Ban on Rushdie's book by Rajiv govt was wrong

Senior party leader Kamal Nath described Chidambaram's remark as his personal opinion. "That is Mr. Chidambaram's own views. His statement is not Congress party's official stand," he told reporters outside Parliament today.

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Another Congress leader Rajeev Shukla echoed Kamal Nath's statement, saying, "Chidambaram had expressed his own views and I disagree with him. I think Rajiv Gandhi had taken a right decision by banning the book depending on the law and order situation then."

Also Read | Rushdie on Chidambaram remark: How many years to correct ban on Satanic Verses?

Chidambaram, who was Minister of State Home Affairs when the ban was imposed in October 1988, had said at the Times LitFest on Saturday that he had "no hesitation in saying that the ban on Salman Rushdie's book was wrong".

Rushdie took to Twitter to say, "This admission just took 27 years. How many before the 'mistake' is corrected?"

The publication of the "Satanic Verses" in 1988 was followed by a fatwa by Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Khomenini calling for Rushdie to be killed, forcing the author to go into hiding.

Earlier in 2012, the author had to pull out from the Jaipur Literature Festival citing threats by some Muslim groups and had to even cancel a subsequent video address in the same festival.

Chidambaram also said Indira Gandhi had in 1980 admitted imposing Emergency was a mistake.

"I have no hesitation in saying that the ban on Salman Rushdie's book was wrong," Chidambaram, who was MoS Home Affairs when the ban was imposed in October 1988, said.

"If you had asked me 20 years ago, I would have told you the same thing," he said when asked why it took him so many years to reach such a conclusion.