Oct 12 , 2015
News
Shiv Sena activists attack Kulkarni ahead of Kasuri’s book launch
Kasuri says can’t be scared of such threats, Advani condemns incident
INPMUMBAI - Sudheendra Kulkarni, who heads the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), was on Monday attacked by Shiv Sena party leaders, ahead of a book launch of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri being organised by ORF.
“Shiv Sena activists threw ink at me and smeared my face. They abused me,” Kulkarni alleged and said that ORF, a foreign policy think-tank, will hold Kasuri’s book launch as planned in Mumbai later today. “We won’t be cowed down by such events and the book launch will happen as planned,” the organiser said.
Meanwhile, reacting to the ink attack on Kulkarni, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said “smearing ink is a very mild form of democratic protest.” “We don’t know if ink or tar was smeared. Nobody can foretell how public anger will explode,” Raut said. The Shiv Sena had threatened to disrupt the launch of Kasuri’s book “Neither a Hawk nor a Dove”: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised complete security for the event. “I welcome Kasuri to this great city. I thank him for coming even though we already had indications about some forces threatening him,” Kulkarni told a news conference, hours after his face was smeared with ink as Kasuri sat by his side.
Kulkarni blamed the Shiv Sena for the attack on him and said that the group had threatened to disrupt the launch of Kasuri’s book in “typical Shiv Sena style”. He added: “Even then the scheduled launch will be held as planned.” Kasuri told journalists that he recognises everyone’s right to protest but not in the manner in which Kulkarni was attacked. “As a political worker, I recognise the right to protest. I have faced police lathi charges. I know what political opposition is. But what happened to Kulkarni is beyond that right,” he said.
Kasuri said that he has “great faith” in the common man of India and Pakistan. Kasuri said “I am unhappy and sad to see what has happened. I cannot be scared of such threats”. The attack on Kulkarni happened when he was leaving his home in Sion, south central Mumbai, when a group of around a dozen alleged Shiv Sena activists accosted him. They shouted slogans and asked him to cancel the event and then allegedly smeared him with black ink.
Kulkarni told NDTV that Kasuri is his guest and he had taken a principled stand to go ahead with the book launch. “It is our duty to protect and honour Kasuri. I will host him even after this attack on me,” Kulkarni said. He said that he shared the Shiv Sena’s concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan but made it clear that ideas should not be opposed through violence. Kulkarni had tweeted that the conflict between India and Pakistan can be resolved only through dialogue. He said that the book launch was a small endeavour to keep the process of dialogue alive.
Kulkarni said that the Shiv Sena could have voiced its opposition in a debate instead of threatening and attacking him. Kulkarni met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday night in a bid to get his backing for the book launch. However, the Shiv Sena said that it will not go back on its protest.
Former deputy prime minister of India, L K Advani outrightly condemned the attack on his erstwhile aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, allegedly by activists of NDA ally Shiv Sena in Mumbai. “I strongly condemn whosoever has done this,” said Advani, adding that “of late we have seen an increase in cases of intolerance, this is against democracy.” Significantly, Advani had, on the 40 anniversary of the Emergency in June, said that conditions that could give rise to another emergency today continued to prevail in India.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk