I Stand in Solidarity With Writers Returning Awards: Salman Rushdie to NDTV | Read

Celebrated author Salman Rushdie, who was born in Mumbai, has spoken out against what he calls the "real grave danger" that "ordinary liberties" are facing in India. Speaking exclusively to NDTV from London, Mr Rushdie said he stood in solidarity with writer Nayantara Sahgal and all others who have returned their awards. Speaking on the publication of his new book 'Two Years, Eight Months And Twenty-Eight Nights' in which the class between Reason and Unreason is a major theme, Mr Rushdie said that while he is no fan of the Congress party, he believes that a new "degree of thuggish violence" has crept in India. He told NDTV that the silence of institutions like the Sahitya Akademi and the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had emboldened the violence. "Mr Modi is a very talkative gentleman, he has a lot to say on a lot of subjects and it would be very good to hear what he has to say about all this," he said.