Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday termed as a “clear case of match-fixing” Salman Rushdie cancelling his visit to the Jaipur Literature Festival and accused the Congress government in Rajasthan of playing “an active role” in it.

The BJP also accused the Congress of using the controversy surrounding Rushdie to gain political mileage in the Uttar Pradesh polls.

Talking to reporters in the national capital, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad called it a “match-fixing” between intelligence agencies and “jehadis”.

“It is a clear case of match-fixing between intelligence agencies and jehadis in which the Congress government of Rajasthan played a supportive and active role,” Prasad said.

Rushdie had to cancel his scheduled visit to the festival in Jaipur over security fears after Muslim groups protested against his visit over “The Satanic Verses”. Rushdie cited alleged threats from the underworld as the reason for cancelling his visit.

However, the Mumbai police denied issuing any warning of threat to Rushdie’s life.

Speaking on the controversy, Prasad said: “The DGP of Maharashtra has gone on record to say that they had not provided any input to Rajasthan in this regard. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot insisted that his government had received six messages from IB on the threat.”

He said it was necessary to know who is speaking the truth, and added that if there was no threat to Rushdie’s life “then why did the Rajasthan government take pre-emptive steps”.

“The entire episode has put a question mark on the credibility and integrity of the intelligence agency,” he said, adding that the prime minister should take note of it.

He also said Rushdie had been to India on several occasions in the past but there were no protests and questioned the timing of the present controversy ahead of assembly elections in five states.