Cong distances itself from Chidambaram’s remark on Rushdie’s book

The Congress on Monday distanced itself from former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s statement that the banning of Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel ‘The Satanic Verses’ by the Rajiv Gandhi government was wrong.

Describing Chidambaram’s remark as his personal view, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said: “No question of a single person puncturing party’s stand. The Congress’ stand is clear. Today what the country is confronted with is an assault on harmony.” 

“That is Chidambaram’s own view,” the former Parliamentary Affairs Minister said while replying to a query.

Chidambaram had on Saturday said that the decision of the Rajiv Gandhi government to ban Rushdie’s book ‘The Satanic Verses’ was wrong. 

“I have no hesitation in saying that the ban on Salman Rushdie’s book was wrong,” Chidambaram had said.

Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing debate over alleged intolerance, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said Chidambaram’s statement that banning Rushdie’s book was a mistake had punctured the Congress’ stand on the controversial issue. “The atmosphere of intolerance created by the Congress was punctured by Chidambaram even before the discussion,” he said as the Lok Sabha took up the issue for debate.

Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home, said it has now proved that the Congress has made a mistake by levelling the allegations that there was an atmosphere of “intolerance” in the country.

“Congress itself is an intolerant party. Chidambaram has proved this,” he said.

Twenty-seven years after the then Rajiv Gandhi government banned Rushdie’s controversial novel, Chidambaram had said on Saturday that it was “wrong.”