Who is Salman Rushdie?

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is an eminent Anglo-Indian novelist and essayist. His second novel, “Midnight’s Children” won him the Booker Prize in 1981.

What is the Jaipur Literature Festival?

The Jaipur Literature Festival is the most prestigious literary festival in India. Held at Diggi Palace in the Rajasthani capital of Jaipur, the festival hosts dozens of talks, workshops, debates and other interactive activities. Rushdie was present at the second edition of the festival in 2007 without there being a problem.

Why did a controversy erupt over Rushdie's attendance at the Jaipur Literature Festival this year?

Muslim clerics from Uttar Pradesh and Jaipur were opposed to his presence at the festival and made this fact public. The Jaipur police informed Rushdie that there was a threat to his life, saying that, according to intelligence sources, paid assassins commissioned by the Mumbai mafia were en route to Jaipur to kill him. It was later found that this was just a hoax to get him to withdraw from the festival.

In 1988, Rushdie faced violent opposition from Muslims around the world as they considered the content in his book “The Satanic Verses” blasphemous. Following this, a fatwa was issued against him by the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini. This was withdrawn in 1998 when the Iranian government decided to no longer support his death sentence.

Why did Rushdie cancel his plan to attend the festival this year?

Rushdie said he decided to stay away from the festival as there was a threat to his life and that he did not want to endanger the lives of others at the festival.

Why didn't the central and Rajasathan state governments offer him protection?

Critics believe that the central and state governments did not want to lose out on votes from the Muslims that they are counting on in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. This calculation, according to critics, made them reluctant to risk angering the Muslim protestors by providing Rushdie with protection.

Why was the planned videoconference with Rushdie canceled?

The proposed session with Rushdie at the festival via video link was canceled as the government feared violent protests by Muslim agitators. The decision was taken at the last moment after organizers of the festival were told in a meeting with leaders of the Muslim groups that “even seeing his face is intolerable.”