Congress condemns paint attack on Kulkarni, dubs Shiv Sena as

New Delhi, Oct 12: Dubbing Shiv Sena as "Desi Taliban", Congress today condemned the attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni and favoured going ahead with the book launch of former Pakistan foreign Minister Khurshid Ahmed Kasuri.

"Kasuri Book Launch must be held and all liberals who are against such Talibani hooliganism must come out to support the book launch," Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh posted on Twitter.

Stating that such kind of intolerance cannot be accepted in the country, he said, "First Ghulam Ali concert and now Kasuri's book launch.

We don't want a Desi Taliban in India." "Strongly condemn most dastardly attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni by Shiv Sainiks Udhav Thakre (Uddhav Thackeray) must control his goons Full support to Sudheendra (sic)," the Congress leader said in a series of tweets.

At the AICC briefing, party spokesman Tom Vadakkan said it was strange that while the BJP-led Centre had cleared Kasuri's travel in India, its ally was blocking him.

"The question is whose writ runs in the country - that of the BJP-led government or the Shiv Sena," he said, adding that the situation was a challenge for the Prime Minister and that he needed to respond to the question.

Party spokesperson Sanjay Jha also took to Twitter to attack the Shiv Sena. "Black paint is not on @SudheenKulkarni 's face, but a dark blot on Indian democracy.

The forces of fascism are flying high." "Get Inked..... I think Shiv Sena misunderstood the meaning. Sudheendra Kulkarni," he said.

Shiv Sena activists today smeared black paint on Kulkarni's face for refusing to cancel Kasuri's book launch in Mumbai.

Kulkarni, chairman of Observer and Research Foundation (ORF), said will go ahead with the planned book launch by Kasuri later today despite the attack.

PTI