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Congress Distances Itself From Chidambaram's Remark On Banning Of Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses'

Congress Distances Itself From Chidambaram's Remark On Banning Of Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses'
NEW DELHI, INDIA - JULY 22: Member of Parliament Kamal Nath after attending the monsoon session at Parliament House, on July 22, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Wednesday as the opposition kept up with its protest over the controversies involving senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and rejected the government's demand for a discussion on the issues. In Rajya Sabha, finance minister defended External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is facing opposition heat for allegedly supporting tainted former IPL Chief Lalit Modi's bid for British travel papers. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
NEW DELHI, INDIA - JULY 22: Member of Parliament Kamal Nath after attending the monsoon session at Parliament House, on July 22, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Wednesday as the opposition kept up with its protest over the controversies involving senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and rejected the government's demand for a discussion on the issues. In Rajya Sabha, finance minister defended External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is facing opposition heat for allegedly supporting tainted former IPL Chief Lalit Modi's bid for British travel papers. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Congress today 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 Chidambaram's remark as his personal view, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said, "No question of a single person puncturing party's stand. Congress' stand is clear. Today what the country is confronted with is an assault on harmony," he said.

"That is Chidambaram's own view," the former Parliamentary Affairs Minister said while replying to a query.

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," Chidambaram had said at the Times LitFest here.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.