Mumbai: Hitting back at Union minister Arun Jaitley, the Shiv Sena has said that it does not need to learn about tolerance from any other party. In a sarcastic jibe at Mr Jaitley, the Sena also asked whether supporting Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in Kashmir and giving protection to a former Pakistan minister in Mumbai strengthens tolerance.
Jaitley on Tuesday had deprecated the rising incidents of intolerance and vandalism where he said was an “extremely disturbing trend” and called for a “civilised mode” of discussing and debating issues. His disapproval of vandalism resorted to by people to register contrary views came against the backdrop of the Shiv Sena forcing the cancellation of a music concert by Pakistani legend Ghulam Ali, talks between Indian and Pakistani cricket board chiefs and blackening of the face of Sudheendra Kulkarni in Mumbai.
Reacting to Jaitley’s remarks, the editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana said, “Pakistan has been showing its ‘fanatic tolerance’ by killing innocent people at the border, in Kashmir, Delhi and Mumbai. Shiv Sena is not a coward to talk about tolerance when the blood of innocent people is being spilled in the country.” The Sena said governments have changed but issues of concern have remained the same. “In Kashmir, supporting Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and in Mumbai giving protection to a former Pakistan minister strengthens tolerance,” the party sarcastically said in the editorial.
“Because of Pakistan’s anti-India activities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to address the nation from behind a bullet-proof glass. Pakistan will kill our jawans, threaten us. Should we lay red carpet for Pakistanis on the blood of our martyrs?” the editorial asked.
The Sena editorial wondered how India’s culture of tolerance was threatened due to its acts of preventing Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali’s concert in Mumbai and protesting against the book launch of former Pakistan minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri. The party said that in a democracy, street protests by political parties are important or else political struggles will be a thing of the past.
