Monday’s incident of throwing ink on Sudheendra Kulkarni, who is organising the launch of a book authored by former Pakistan Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, is an act of competitive intolerance, said Brinda Karat, Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member.
She questioned the Maharashtra government’s silence pointing out that a book launch function is a perfectly democratic platform and “the Shiv Sena can dare to try and prevent it by actual physical attack is precisely because the Fadnavis government is giving respect to those who are intolerant and suspending the rule of law.”
Addressing a press conference here on the judgement on the gang rape of a speech and hearing impaired girl in Krishnagiri, Ms. Karat said the incident was an act of “competitive intolerance, which is now being promoted all over India under the aegis of the Modi regime in Delhi.”
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Recalling the way Ghulam Ali was prevented from performing in Mumbai she said at that time the Maharashtra government had excused itself saying the organisers were backing off. “Where the BJP and Shiv Sena are in partnership in the government, the first threat was made against Ghulam Ali. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that something like this does not happen,” she said.