The Congress on Monday distanced itself from former finance minister P.
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 Mr 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,” he said.
“That is Chidambaram’s own view,” he said while replying to a query.
At the Congress briefing, party spokesman P.L. Punia spoke in similar vein. Mr Punia said that the book was not banned, but its import was banned. He said that Penguin, the publisher of the book, had decided not to print the book in India after consultations with Khushwant Singh. “This is the factual, Opposition position” and therefore there was no need to cast aspersions on the then government, he said.
He said Mr Chidambaram, who was part of the Rajiv Gandhi team, might have “certain other perceptions”.
Mr Chidambaram had on Saturday said 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,” he had said.
Meanwhile, the Congress dismissed charges that it had acted against the interests of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Mr Punia told reporters that on the other hand it was Congress which ensured Ambedkar to be not only in the drafting committee of the Constitution, but also its chairman. He said that Dr Ambedkar had lost the membership of the committee as he had been elected from a region of Bengal which went to Pakistan.
That time Rajendra Prasad wrote a letter to the then chief minister of undivided Mumbai state B.D. Kher, asking him to ensure election of Ambedkar from the state. Following this, M.R. Jayakar resigned from the committee to pave for the election of Dr Ambedkar, Mr Punia said.
Similarly, when Ambedkar got defeated in the first general elections from Mumbai, the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had ensured that he was not only accommodated in the Rajya Sabha but also be the Union Law Minister, he said.
Mr Punia’s remarks came when asked to comment on the BSP supremo Mayawati’s charge against the Congress with working against the interests of Ambedkar.
