India says no to French award for Taslima

Govt wants to avoid controversy, but has no objection if the writer gets the award outside India.

A proposal by the French government to honour Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen with the prestigious Simone de Beauvoir award during President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to New Delhi has been politely but firmly turned down by the Indian government.

France had named Nasreen as the recipient of the award on January 9 for her writings on women. The award was to have coincided with Beauvoir's 100th birth anniversary and France thought it would be convenient to confer the award during Sarkozy's visit.

However, the Indian government is reluctant to hold the ceremony in New Delhi for the domestic political message the gesture will send.

The government would rather not have the writer making public appearances for any foreseeable future. "The media is bound to catch her on the occasion. We are not sure what she will say there. She is an honoured guest and we don't want to create further tension. We can't take this risk", a top government official told Business Standard today.

Nasreen's penchant for courting controversy has embarrassed the government, especially after conservative Islamic organisations said they did not want Nasreen in India. Nasreen was moved out of West Bengal in the interest of her own safety but she charged that the government was holding her a virtual prisoner.

Honouring Nasreen on Indian soil by a foreign dignitary would have riled even moderate Muslims and create a political crisis.

However, to ensure it is not seen as compromising on its commitment to democracy and freedom of speech, the government has decided to place no hurdles in the renewal of Nasreen's visa so that she can continue to stay in India.

Her stay-permit is due to expire next month. However, her movements will continue to be restricted due to security concerns.

"We have no objections to the award being given to her anywhere else in the world", said an official.

To prevent any offence to the French president, the government has even offered to make arrangements for Nasreen's travel to Paris or any other place to receive the award. However, France is yet to revert to New Delhi on alternative arrangements.

The award is named after Simon de Beauvoir, a hallowed name in world feminist literature. Beauvoir, companion of Jean-Paul Sartre, is seen as the mother of post-1968 feminism.