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Asked about their absence, Bose said, “It is only about 1 per cent of the population who did it for their vested interest. It will not stop me in my fight against cultural intolerance.”
Earlier it was planned that Rushdie, Mehta and Bose were to attend two events: a press meet in a city hotel and an interaction “Midnight Magic” at the literary meet. At the book fair, author Amitav Ghosh said, “It is unfortunate that he can not move freely.”
Sources in the book fair said the government did not want Rushdie to attend the literary meet fearing a backlash. Md Nurur Rahman Barkati, Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid, said, “I had called the CM to tell her that Rushdie should not be allowed to come to Bengal. It would give rise to a law and order situation. She assured me it would be taken care of,” he said.
Home secretary Basudev Banerjee said the government came to know of Rushdie’s visit on Tuesday evening. “It was not pre-scheduled. We got in touch with the Mumbai police who later told us that he was not coming,” he said.
This is another Muslim appeasement by TMC Mamata. It will all help BJP in West Bengal
How can a person be banned from entering a state? Is it even legal?
We Bengalis used to relate to Kolkata, with an air of pride. We were proud of critical thinking and freedom of expression. All these are disappearing at an alarmingly quick pace with the Talibanised Mamata Corporation at the helm.
