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Shiv Sena may tone down anti-Valentine`s protests
Mumbai, Feb 13: After years of creating a ruckus outside shops selling Valentine`s Day ware, the Shiv Sena may just tone down its protests in Mumbai this time because of upcoming elections.
Mumbai, Feb 13: After years of creating a ruckus outside shops selling Valentine's Day ware, the Shiv Sena may just tone down its protests in Mumbai this time because of upcoming elections.
Uddhav Thackeray, son of party founder Bal Thackeray and heir-apparent, has made it clear that violence that day would not be condoned.
In an example of the party's new thinking, it forced a legislator to apologise to a doctor at the state-owned JJ Hospital after having threatened him.
"We don't think there will be much trouble this year," says Hemant Gandhi, a gift shop owner in Borivli in north Mumbai.
Though Shiv Sena activists attacked a few shops last year, strict police action ensured that Valentine's Day remained peaceful.
But things are likely to get tougher in Pune city, not far from Mumbai. The Pune Cards and Gift Traders Association (PCGTA) and Tandem, a student body, have announced a "total ban" on the sale of Valentine's Day cards in Pune.
It is not clear what support the two groups enjoy. However, the traders themselves have decided to observe Vasant Utsav, or spring festival, on February 14.
Reports from that city indicate that heads of several well-known institutions have also thrown their weight behind the anti-Valentine's Day campaign. Bureau Report
Uddhav Thackeray, son of party founder Bal Thackeray and heir-apparent, has made it clear that violence that day would not be condoned.
In an example of the party's new thinking, it forced a legislator to apologise to a doctor at the state-owned JJ Hospital after having threatened him.
"We don't think there will be much trouble this year," says Hemant Gandhi, a gift shop owner in Borivli in north Mumbai.
Though Shiv Sena activists attacked a few shops last year, strict police action ensured that Valentine's Day remained peaceful.
But things are likely to get tougher in Pune city, not far from Mumbai. The Pune Cards and Gift Traders Association (PCGTA) and Tandem, a student body, have announced a "total ban" on the sale of Valentine's Day cards in Pune.
It is not clear what support the two groups enjoy. However, the traders themselves have decided to observe Vasant Utsav, or spring festival, on February 14.
Reports from that city indicate that heads of several well-known institutions have also thrown their weight behind the anti-Valentine's Day campaign. Bureau Report