Nic, I fail to see what was wrong with the overall reaction by the general population of India towards this artist. He painted something that is not appreciated by them and they rejected it. Legal cases were filed for being unconstitutional. The government did not ban his paintings or denounce him and on the contrary provided with him police protection as well, while the cases were being tried.

He chose to make a run for it. The reason seems to be clear to me. He fell out of the popular society in India and decided to take his business elsewhere. It's just a publicity stunt and nothing else.