Protest should be lawful, peaceful, Kulkarni to Sena

 Veteran journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni said on Saturday that the attack by Shiv Sena activists, who poured black paint on him, would not deter him. Kulkarni said that the right to expression was a fundamental right in a democracy.

Speaking to media persons here, the writer said that he had done nothing wrong by rejecting the Sena’s demand that the launch programme of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s book be called off.

People across Mumbai and the country have expressed dissatisfaction over the incident. Kulkarni said that he had spoken to Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray over the need to respect his choice. Kulkarni said that he would also respect their choice to protest against him. But the protest should be lawful and peaceful.

“I believe that India and Pakistan must have dialogue,” he said. He said the incident might not have a major impact on the BJP-Sena ties. The incident was an attack on the prestige of the nation, known for its tolerance of multiculturalism and democracy, he said.

He said that the incident had given a new dimension to pursuing relationship between India and Pakistan. 

Kulkarni said that the dialogue between the two countries was uninterrupted and uninterruptible. He said Pakistan should hand over  underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to India. He said war was not an alternative as both countries were nuclear powers. He also condemned the murder of writer M M Kalburgi.