Former law minister Hansraj Bhardwaj on Sunday rubbished former union minister P. Chidambaram’s assertion that it was wrong on part of Rajiv Gandhi-led government in 1989 to ban Salman Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses”, saying he is proud of the former prime minister who was true image of Jawaharlal Nehru.
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The BJP sought to know why it took Mr Chidambaram 27 years to admit “the mistake” and suggested that the Congress be a “little tolerant”. “How many before the “mistake” is corrected?”
“So… It would appear the president bought my book today”, he posted.
Speaking at the Times LitFest on Saturday, Chidambaram said Rajiv Gandhi government’s decision to ban Salman Rushdie’s book Satanic Verses in October 1988 was “wrong”.
The same year, Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa against Rushdie and called for his death.
Congress leader Rashid Alvi later said, “I don’t know what Chidambaram has said”. “If at all he has acknowledged what had happened 27 years ago was wrong, it should be welcomed in the spirit in which it was said”, he said.
When the audience asked him if he felt the same way about the Emergency, Chidambaram said: “Indira Gandhi admitted in 1980 that imposing the Emergency was a mistake”.
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“The media is just acting as a mirror and more and more people are looking at the mirror”, he said, adding that banning things was not the answer to problems. He noted the “increasing tide of illiberalism and intolerance is frightening”. “Moral majoritarianism will fail but each one of believes in democracy and liberalism must speak up and ensure that moral majoritarianism will fail comprehensively”, he said. Expressing firm faith in the Constitution, he said: “I believe that the Constitution is the most powerful challenge to illiberal tendencies”.
