Sena wants to cut cultural ties with Pakistan.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Ghazal singer Ustad Ghulam Ali cancelled his concert in Mumbai after Shiv Sena came out against the organizers for plans to host the Pakistani artist in India.
A Shiv Sena spokesperson said today, “We can’t have cultural ties with Pakistan when they kill our soldiers.”
Even though the BJP, which co-governs Maharashtra along with Shiv Sena, has distanced itself from the issue, Shiv Sena plays an integral role in backing the government.
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was quoted by NDTV saying, “What the Sena is doing with Ghulam Ali is absolutely wrong. People like him must be kept above and beyond borders.”
The concert was scheduled for Friday at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai, which has been a key venue for many Sena functions in the past.
Making things worse for the organizers, the members of Chitrapat Sena, the film division of the Shiv Sena which had earlier protested against movies like Chennai Express, reached the venue today and demanded the event to be cancelled. A leader of the Chitrapat Sena reportedly told the organizers “Pakistan has targeted Indian soldiers, decapitated them and returned their headless bodies; India should not be enjoying cultural relations with them.”
Interestingly, Ghulam Ali, who is in his early 70’s, had performed another concert in the famous Sankat Mochan in Varanasi, the assembly constituency of prime minister Narendra Modi, and the event concluded without any external interventions.
Ghulam Ali has sung many ghazals for Indian films. Some of his famous numbers are Chupke Chupke Raat Din, Kal Chaudhvin Ki Raat Thi, Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa and Kiya Hai Pyar Jisé.
According to sources within Shiv Sena, even though it runs a coalition government with the ruling BJP, it is in no way going to take a step back from its hard-line position on Pakistan, until the neighboring country stop targeting India.
Sena had earlier voiced dissent against a show hosted by famous Pakistani singer Atif Aslam and even before that had protested against Pakistan cricket team playing in India.