The brazen attack by the Shiv Sena on Sudheendra Kulkarni, the organizer of a book launch for former Pakistani Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, has launched a war of words online, causing “Sudheendra Kulkarni” to trend on Twitter.
The sharpest of the attacks were the exchanges between senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai and Sena leader Aditya Thackeray.
In an ‘open letter’ on his blog, Mr. Sardesai addressed fellow-Xavierite “My dear Aditya”, and “dared to offer advice” as a senior alumni.
In his blog, Mr. Sardesai recounted the Sena’s pitch-digging days and attacks on him and another journalist Nikhil Wagle. “Then, your grandfather Balasaheb was the supremo, now you and your father seek the mantle.”
Allowing Thackeray his right to feel strongly about Pak-based terror and Mr. Kasuri, Mr. Sardesai however said: “But if you don't like him or Pakistan, or his book, don't read it, boycott the function, wear a black band… But what gives you or the Sena's goons the right to physically attack the organisers or force the government to call off a concert?”
Mr. Sardesai signed off with a stinger saying Sainiks should go to Marathwada and help farm widows in distress.
Mr. Thackeray soon posted his own ‘open letter’ on Facebook (hat tip to generational divide?), offering his profound apologies “for spoiling the bright and cheery October morning” and delivered a jab adding “but it wasn’t the same for four Indian soldiers killed on the 6th of October 2015.” Mr. Sardesai had mentioned ‘patriotic’ Indians who warned him on Twitter “to think about the widows of soldiers who had lost their lives fighting the Pakistanis.”
“Of course non-violent incidents like ink shed on some, by a certain few parties would anger you to tag it as violence,” Mr. Thackeray said, adding that he himself saw it as “democratic and historic.”
On Mr. Sardesai raising Sena’s opposition to the Ghulam Ali concert, Mr. Thackeray said “No we aren’t against Ghulam Ali ji in person. Love his songs, but “Age Barhe na Qissa” (in terms of peace talks), can we really enjoy sitting here in the comfort and safety provided to us by our soldiers taking the bullets for us right from Siachen Glacier to the Thar Desert to Naval borders?”
With an icily cordial “Rajdeep” at the end he invited Mr. Sardesai to “maybe catch up over some nice tea to discuss such issues and stats once I’m back from a tour of helping distressed farmers?”
