fter the Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali’s concert in Delhi, scheduled for November 8, Aam Admi Party (AAP) leaders said they will personally guard the venue and keep ‘nuisance’ at bay.
The party said it will deploy its ‘army of workers’, if situation demands, to ensure that Pakistani ghazal singer’s concert goes well.
Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said the government will go ahead with the concert and is unaffected by the Shiv Sena’s threat. “On November 8, Delhi will host Ghulam Ali Saab. Tum Nafrat phelate raho, hum bhaichara badhate rahenge. Tum kaante bote raho, hum phool ugaate rahenge ,” he tweeted. (You keep spreading hatred and we will kill it through love and peace)
Party leader Sanjay Singh said it is the Delhi Police’s responsibility to ensure law and order in the city and that the show goes off smoothly. “In Maharashtra, it is the BJP’s police under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and in Delhi, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s police, who report to him through Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.”
“If need arises, we will deploy our army of party workers to ensure that the concert goes fine. We will not allow any kind of disruption at the event,” Mr. Singh said.
After forcing the organisers to cancel the much-awaited Ghulam Ali concert in Mumbai and Pune early this month, a defiant Shiv Sena said the party will not let the Pakistani ghazal maestro perform in the Capital. The announcement came a day after the Delhi Tourism Minister told The Hindu that the veteran ghazal sensation would perform in Delhi on November 8.
Delhi Shiv Sena president Om Dutt Sharma told The Hindu on Thursday that his party will not let the event take place in Delhi. “We are against any Pakistani artist come and perform in India. We will not let the Delhi government organise his show in the Capital. We will take our protest to the streets,” Mr. Sharma said.
According to Delhi government officials, Mr. Ali is scheduled to perform at the Siri Fort Auditorium as part of a joint venture between the Delhi government and a prominent Hindi publication. The Delhi government had invited the renowned ghazal singer to perform in Delhi after his show in Mumbai was cancelled due to threats from the Shiv Sena. The singer, who has a vast fan base in India, was scheduled to perform in Mumbai and Pune as a tribute to late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh on his death anniversary.
The govt will go ahead with
the concert and is unaffected
by the Shiv Sena’s threat
