By IANS
Kolkata : Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) patriarch Jyoti Basu Tuesday said controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen was welcome back if the union government provided adequate security to her.
Nasreen was forced to leave Kolkata after street riots last month over her alleged anti-Islam writings.
“She is welcome back in Kolkata, but the security has to be provided by the centre. I appreciate the stand taken by the external affairs minister (Pranab Mukherjee) regarding this,” said Basu, even as his party beat about the bush on the issue for fear of losing minority votes.
After unprecedented violence in Kolkata by a section of the city’s Muslim community, who were demanding her ouster from India, the 45-year-old writer was shifted to Jaipur Nov 22 and then to New Delhi in secrecy and under heavy security.
The Intelligence Bureau is keeping Nasreen in a “safe house” within a National Security Guards complex in New Delhi.
“She loves Kolkata. She wants to stay here. She had even presented me her book ‘Dwikhandita’. But we had to ban her book in Bengal because it hurts Muslim sentiments,” Basu said.
While he made his stand clear on Nasreen’s return – though not without sending the ball to the centre’s court – the CPI-M is yet to come out with a clear statement on her.
Nasreen had earlier told IANS that the Indian government had virtually asked her to remain in Delhi or leave the country.
“I don’t want to live in India if I am not allowed to return to Kolkata,” she said.