Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has expressed security concerns over Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie's visit to the Jaipur Literature festival from January 20 to 24. Gehlot met Home Minister P Chidambaram over the issue and acknowledges that there are security implications, saying they hope to come to an understanding with the festival organisers.
Gehlot told the Home Minister that the people of Rajasthan "do not want" Rushdie to come and had made representations to the state government about their feelings.
"I don't have any official information about whether Rushdie is coming or not. There is no official communication to us... There is a reaction among the locals, they don't want Salman to come," Gehlot told reporters after the meeting.
Gehlot said his Chief Secretary was in touch with the organisers of the literature festival.
"No state government will want a law and order situation. I have informed the Centre about the prevailing sentiments," Gehlot said.
The announcement of Rushdie's visit to the popular festival had invited the wrath of India's top Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, which appealed to the government to decline the author a visa as he had hurt sentiments of Muslims in the past.
Following this, Rushdie had taken to Twitter to say that he did not require a visa to visit India.
Gehlot also added that Rushdie was a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and the government cannot prevent him from coming to India. Nor can it offer any advice to the organisers.
But, the sentiments of the people have to be kept in mind, Gehlot said.
"At the same time the festival is a very popular one and known across the world. The organisers too wouldn't want law and order situation which will spoil the festival," he said.
The festival producer Sanjoy Roy has clarified that Rusdhie will not be in India on Friday, the opening day of the festival, but the festival stands by its invitation. "Salman will not be in India on the 20th as per his new schedule. The festival stands by its invitation to Mr Rushdie," Roy said.
The clarification came after media reports that the Rajasthan government persuaded organisers to ask Rushdie to stay away, citing protests from radical groups.
Rushdie was scheduled to speak on the January 20 and 21 at the Jaipur Literature Festival, but his scheduled events are no longer mentioned on the festival's website, though this could also be to avoid trouble.
Festival Director Namita Gokhale told CNN-IBN, "Salman Rushdie is attending the Jaipur Literature Festival, but he will not be there on the opening day."
The author had earned the wrath of Muslims worldwide due to the alleged blasphemous content in his novel "The Satanic Verses" which was published in 1988.
The novel, which was banned by India, had sparked outrage in the Muslim world, including a fatwa against him by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, on February 14, 1989.
The fatwa was later revoked on September 24, 1998.
(With additional information from PTI)
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