The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Shiv Sena will protect State's interest: Mutalik

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 12, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Shiv Sena will protect State's interest: Mutalik

Staff Reporter

`Party's Maharashtra origin will not come in the way of it'

INITIAL HICCUPS: Members of the Kannada Rakshana Vedike arguing with Shiv Sena State unit President Pramod Mutalik (left) at the inauguration of the party workers' convention, in Bangalore on Sunday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Shiv Sena on Sunday chose Bangalore, where Chhatrapathi Shivaji spent his childhood, for its formal launch. The venue was the Gosai Mutt in Gavipuram Guttahalli, which is associated with the name of Shahaji Bhonsle, father of Shivaji.

The Sena, which existed in the State in a small way, received a boost with the entry of the former convener of the Bajrang Dal for the southern States, Pramod Mutalik.

Mr. Mutalik formally launched the Shiv Sena here in the presence of Gosai Mutt swamiji, Sri Sureshwarananda Bharati.

Mr. Mutalik and his supporters told presspersons that the fact that Shiv Sena is a Maharastra-based party will not come in the way of the State unit working in the best interests of Karnataka and Kannada. The party was launched in Bijapur on August 28 after which Mr. Mutalik has toured 12 districts where the Shiv Sena was received well, as it stood for "the protection of Hindutva's interests and all Hindus".

Mr. Mutalik made it clear that the Shiv Sena will not seek a tie-up with the BJP but fight independently in all elections in the future. He said nearly 30 BJP legislators have affirmed support to him, apart from three MPs, and they will leave the BJP to join his party the moment elections are announced in the State. On the ticklish issue of Belgaum, Mr. Mutalik said: "We will be bound by the Supreme Court order on this matter." He said the Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray will be visiting the State soon, and he will make the party stand on Belgaum clear on the occasion.

Mr. Mutalik has gone on record stating in Bijapur recently that as a Kannadiga, he will ensure that there is no conflict of interests within the party on any issue that can cause tension between the two States and the Kannada and Marathi speaking people. He criticised the BJP, which "appears to have abandoned the cause of the Hindutva, and seems no longer interested in working for it."

The Shiv Sena has planned to hold a rally in Hubli in November, which will be attended by Mr Thackeray and launch the membership drive in the State, Mr. Mutalik said.

The party's tentative list of members of the working committee was released on Sunday.

Vilas Pawar, Ravi Hampannanavar, Manoj Hanagal, Suresh Bharatakke, Ravi Siddaling, Basavaraj Siddalingappa, Kashinath Masi Banal, Shrimanth Duje, Eashwar Thakur, Raghavendra Acharya, Bhaskar, Praveen Valke, G.R.Hegde, H.R.Ballal, Subramanya Raju, Ganganna Gowda, and Sachin are in the working committee. Manoj Hanagal has been made the party spokesperson.

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