NEW DELHI: Hours after inviting Salman Rushdie to visit the capital, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit retracted, saying there is no question of welcoming "The Satanic Verses" author.
"There is no question of welcoming English writer Mr. Salman Rushdie as a guest in the capital city," said a statement from the chief minister's office.
Earlier in the day, Dikshit had told reporters: "We welcome everybody. We don't want to get into all this. One may have differences with what Rushdie writes, but he is a very very eminent writer. He is a Booker Prize winner,"
Her remark came in the wake of invitation to Rushdie by artist-activist group "Sahmat" to attend a function in Delhi.
Rushdie called off his proposed visit to the Jaipur Literature Festival after protests by Muslims. His proposed video-conference was also cancelled on the festival's last day Tuesday.