Allegations and counter-allegations flew thick and fast with Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie claiming he was invited to the Kolkata Literary Meet while the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, organisers of the Kolkata Book Fair where the meet is held, refuting it.
Trinamul Congress leaders rallied around chief minister Mamata Banerjee for keeping Rushdie out of the city. Former Union minister Sultan Ahmed went to the extent of calling the author “Shaitan Rushdie”.
In a Twitter post, Rushdie meanwhile called the literary meet organisers “liars” and said: “The literary meet organisers are lying when they say I wasn’t invited. I have emails and plane tickets sent by them to prove it.”
Publishers and Booksellers Guild secretary Tridib Chatterjee said: “He is an internationally-acclaimed writer and we hold him in high esteem. But I am sorry to say he is telling lies. He was not invited.” Those behind the Kolkata Literary Meet, however, refused to comment.
Mr Sultan Ahmed, defending West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, said: “There is nothing shameful, I congratulate the state government for taking the right decision.” Attacking Rushdie, Mr Ahmed said: “You cannot denigrate Islam and get away with it. I welcome the decision of Mamata Banerjee to not let him in. It is not free thinking, abusing a religion is not free thinking. In the land of Swami Vivekananda (and) Kazi Nazrul Islam, we don’t support this kind of thing in the name of free thinking.”