New Delhi: Columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni was on his way to the launch of ‘Neither a Hawk, Nor a Dove: An Insider Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy’ by former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khrushid Mahmood Kasuri, when he was attacked with black paint by Shiv Sena activists.
As condemnation of the attack by the Sena activists poured in, including from civil society, the Centre voiced its disapproval, calling it “unjust”, with Union ministers of state Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Kiren Rijiju speaking out.
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However, the Sena was unrepentant, saying it was “a very mild” form of protest. “Smearing ink is a very mild form of democratic protest. Nobody can foretell how public anger will explode,” Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said.
In a series of tweets, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray must control his “goons”, adding, “Such intolerance in India can’t be tolerated. First the Ghulam Ali concert and now Kasuri’s book launch. We don’t want a Desi Taliban in India.”
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in a democracy everyone has a right to agree or disagree but this type of protest is not justified as it is against the very core of India’s democratic values.
Taking a jibe at the Shiv Sena, Mr Kulkarni said, “I also express my deepest gratitude to all of you who have come to attend the function notwithstanding the extra ordinary circumstances in which it is being held. This shows your resolve, our resolve and common resolve, the resolve of millions of Mumbaikars to defend the values of tolerance and diversity.”
During the event, Mr Kasuri thanked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for security arrangement.
