Attack against Salman Rushdie: in India, cautious reactions

British writer Salman Rushdie, in September 2018 in Paris.

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In India, the political class condemns the assassination attempt on Salman Rushdie.

But this Bombay-born author from a Muslim family is puzzling both for his controversial satanic verses and his recent critique of Hindu nationalism advocated by the ruling BJP.

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Beyond the controversial

, Salman Rushdie marked the subcontinent with his first novel

 (1981) on the tearing of the partition in August 1947. But it will be celebrated this Monday by India and this Sunday by Pakistan.

His aggression in New York therefore comes at a singular moment for the subcontinent, reports our correspondent in Bangalore,

.

On the side of the supporters of the Hindu nationalist party BJP on twitter, Internet users insist that this act is to be blamed on the Islamist extremists who threatened the author.

But it is with caution that this free electron, born in Bombay but exiled from the country and became a British citizen, is mentioned in political speeches.

The BJP in power has not yet spoken because Salman Rushdie, a critic of Islam, has also shown himself to be a fierce opponent of the ethnic and totalitarian vision of Hinduism advocated by Hindu nationalists. 

►

: The “Modi” turn of Indian letters: between censorship and sensitivity

India, the first country to ban

The Satanic Verses

“ 

 ,” said Congress party figure Shashi Tharoor.

He does not mention that it was under the governance of Congress that

was banned in India, a few days after its publication in 1988. India was even the first country to ban the book for "offending religious feelings". .

Rajiv Gandhi, who was then at the head of the government, harbored a grudge against the writer for his criticism of the policies of the Gandhi dynasty in several of his works. 

 are still banned in India.

My reflections on the shocking attack on @SalmanRushdie, in @TheQuint: https://t.co/Yzb4bwzGiu

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 13, 2022

►

: Writer Salman Rushdie hospitalized after being stabbed on stage in New York State

(and with agencies)

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