Husain can come back if he wants: RSS

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: In a climb-down of sorts, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has made it clear that his organization has nothing against artist Maqbool Fida Husain, reports claimed Thursday. The clarification comes after reports suggested that Husain has been conferred the nationality of Qatar. The RSS chief made it clear that Husain can come back to India whenever he wants to. MF Husain has been under attack from RSS and other Hindu fundamentalist groups for his paintings of Hindu goddesses and has been living in Dubai and London. Husain, who has been living abroad for quite some time due to various cases pending against him, was offered the nationality of Qatar, according to a report this morning. The report also claimed that Husain has not volunteered to get Qatar nationality himself. It was actually conferred upon him by the Royal family of the princely state in recognition of his achievements. "I, The Indian origin painter MF Husain at 95 have been honoured by Qatar nationality," the celebrated artist wrote above a line sketch of a horse, the leitmotif of much of his work. The black and white drawing was carried by The Hindu newspaper. In a signed article, The Hindu editor N Ram wrote that the artist had given him the news from Dubai "by reading out the few lines he had written on a black-and-white line drawing that he released to The Hindu". Photographer, designer and activist Ram Rahman, who is close to the Husain family, responded to the news by saying: "The citizenship has been offered by the sheikha, the wife of the sheikh of Qatar, and it has several implications. "On a personal note, I feel it is quite clear that the man who is 95 years old and cannot return to his country to die, there is no point of him remaining an Indian citizen." "It would be a tragedy. He has not given up his Indian citizenship yet but if he decides to take up the Qatari offer, he will not remain an Indian citizen anymore. It is also a reflection of our legal system because the cases against him will drag on for 20-30 years.... so it is justified if he takes up the Qatari offer," Rahman said.