Controversy over Salman Rushdie's plan to visit Kolkata refuses to die down with the Booker prize-winner author yesterday alleging that the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee herself ordered the police to block his arrival.

The 65-year-old Booker prize-winning author issued a one page statement before flying out of India and also tweeted that the Kolkata police had made his visit to the city "impossible” and accused Mamata of leaking his programme to the press and Muslim leaders "clearly inciting protests".

”... The day before I was due to travel to Kolkata we were informed that the Kolkata police would refuse to allow me to enter the city. If I flew there, I was told, I would be put on the next plane back. I was also told that this was at the request of the Chief Minister," Rushdie said in the statement

Rushdie, accused of blasphemy for his book "The Satanic Verses", was to take part in the Kolkata Literary Meet as a "surprise guest" on January 30 to promote the movie adaptation of his novel 'Midnight's Children' but the organisers later denied having invited the author.

In his tweet, the author said "the simple fact is that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the police to block my arrival....! was told the police would put me on next plane out... The police gave my full itinerary to the press and called Muslim leaders, clearly inciting protests."

Rushdie attended the premiere of 'Midnight's Children' in Mumbai last night with the star cast of the film before leaving India.