Intolerance up in Bombay
BOMBAY: The growth of the forces of Hindu fundamentalism in Bombay during 1990 was seen in an unprecedented display of intolerance.
Recently demands had been made for an apology from Prof. Madhu Dandavate former Union finance minister for his remarks at 4 meeting at Bhiwandi.
He had been accused of hurting Hindu sentiments by saying that Muslims were truer to the Indian soil. He was quoted as saying that after death a Muslim remained confined to the soil while the ashes of a Hindu were strewn in water and in the air.
The misquoted Dandavate had to issue a clarification. What the Socialist leader had said was that a truly devout Muslim or practioner of any other religion was a good an Indian as any Hindu.
A meeting of the Rashtra Seva Dal was disrupted at Vile Parle by highly educated upper middle class youth in an outburst of rowdyism.
The meeting was held to protest against the assault on Mr Chandra Shekhar Deshpande an architect in the wake of his objection to the sale of VHP stickers to his daughter in a prestigious school in the city.
VENUE SHIFTED: The venue of the meeting had to be shifted from the Lokmanya Seva Sangh a leading cultural institution following threats The Sangh came under flak for yielding to threats. It was pointed out that in the past the Sangh premises had been frequently used for political meetings of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti.
Vijay Tendulkar playwright said there was no doubt that the forces of Hinduism had grown stronger in the area. However he said he would not blame the Sangh for withdrawing permission for the Seva Dal meeting.
BOMB BLAST: Another instance of intolerance in the respectable middle class of the suburb of Vile Parle was the bomb blast at the residence of Mr Madhu Gadkari editor of the Loksatta.
Earlier in the year Shiv Sainiks also disrupted a public meeting of the U.P. chief minister Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav in the city.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 11, 1991
