Change of Heart? No V-Day Rampage, Promise Hindu Outfits


New Delhi, Feb 12, (IANS) : They have no plans for Valentine's Day this year, or so they say. Hindu radical outfits like the Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hind Parishad (VHP) promise they will not disrupt Valentine's Day (VD) celebrations though they will solicit support against it. 

"We have no objections. Let Valentine's Day be celebrated. We won't hold any open protests or demonstrations against it, but at the same time youngsters should behave decently," Bajrang Dal's Delhi state convenor Shailendra Jaiswal told IANS.

He also said youngsters and couples should not indulge in immoral behaviour on Feb 14 at public places like pubs, parks, restaurants and gardens. Jaiswal also said they had given instructions through their district offices that their activists should not harass any couple on that day.

Om Dutt Sharma, Shiv Sena's Delhi convenor, said, "There is no point in holding protests and demonstrations as we cannot stop people from celebrating. So this year we will not hold protests of this kind."

Vinod Bansal, media coordinator of the VHP, said: "We will be sending letters to various pubs, restaurants and hotel managements asking them not to organise any programmes or allow vulgar dances on their premises Feb 14."

"Some corporate companies and a particular section of people are trying to cash in on these celebrations."

The moral brigade has been known to harass couples and disrupt celebrations on the ground that Valentine's Day is a Western concept and against Indian culture.

They usually keep vigil at parks, restaurants and other places on the day.  In the past, Hindu radicals have even gone on the rampage at greeting card shops, pubs and gardens to protest the celebrations, drawing widespread criticism.

Uday Sharma, a Bajrang Dal activist, said: "Earlier, we used to interrupt celebrations by warning couples and asked them to get married. We also threatened to hand them over to police or parents. But this year we have decided not to show our opposition to the celebrations in this manner."

If an estimate of the expected expenditure related to this day is any indication, V-Day celebrations are nowhere close to ebbing.

According to a two-month-long study held in 10 major cities from December 2010- January 2011 by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), the expenditure during Valentine's week is likely to cross a whopping Rs.12,000-crore mark this year.

So what is behind the change of tactic of these rightwing outfits - the obvious popularity of the occasion or the public criticism of the violence they unleash?

Jaiswal said that is not the case. "We are not against the celebration, but against the way it is celebrated. Our only demand is that decency in public places should be maintained," he said adding they would not encourage it either.

Bansal said they have requested educational institutions to ensure there won't be any Valentine's Day events. "We will be sending letters to all universities in the national capital requesting them not to allow students to hold any type of celebration."

Bansal, however, insisted that rightwing outfits had never indulged in violence on Valentine's Day and only prevented the harassment of women.

"Our aim is to prevent women from being harassed. We've sent a letter to all pubs and discotheque owners and the police commissioner as well. We are asking them to prevent unruly behaviour and celebrations by roadside Romeos to harass women," Bansal said.

  

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Comment on this article

  • A.S.Mathew, U.S.A.

    Sun, Feb 13 2011

    The spirit of individual freedom
    is blowing all across the world
    in high speed. If these anti-social elements tried to interfere
    with the personal freedom of the
    people, they might have faced
    with serious retaliations in the
    same token.

    We are living in a new era of
    face book, internet etc there is
    no way to barricade ourselves
    from foreign cultures. So, let
    everybody make their own choice
    to enjoy their freedom without
    causing any physical harm to
    others.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Raksha, Bangalore

    Mon, Feb 14 2011

    Vinod Bansal you mind your own work. Who are you to instruct Hotels and Pubs not to have any Valantine Celebrations ? Bansal you are the Co-ordinator for VHP. Take care of your VHP. Only the Supreme Court can decide what Public should do and not do on Valantines day. Even the President & PM cannot stop the Celebrations ? Everyone knows what is right and wrong. So don't interfere in Valantine Days Celebrations.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Ronny, Kadri/Doha

    Sun, Feb 13 2011

    Good news. St. Valentine has really shown his miracle here. "Happy Valentine day" to all Ram Sena, Bajrang Dal and BJP supporters.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Radha , Bangalore

    Sun, Feb 13 2011

    Pink chaddi campaign did the magic ..We need more powerful campaigns like these for people who create unnecessary trouble.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Shoukath Hussain, Mangalore

    Sun, Feb 13 2011

    These extremist outfits have failed miserably in all thier previous attempts. So this year they are cautious not get themselves into trouble again. There is no pure Indian culture anywhere in India, everywhere its mixed culture. We are all influenced by foreign culture and we cannot keep ourselves isolated. Even hindus wear jeans, use foreign goods, english music, mobiles, internet, airtravel which is all western.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • sudhi, mangalore

    Sat, Feb 12 2011

    THIS IS A GOOD DECISION PLS DO LIKE THIS SHOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO BEHAVE LIKE DOG IN PUBLIC PLACE

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • c ferrer, mangalore

    Sat, Feb 12 2011

    Thank God sanity has prevailed on the outfits that gave trouble in the years gone past. LOVE is not a single day affair but is round the year round the clock just as RELIGION is a year long matter and not just a celebration on a few featival days- are not crores burnt during Diwali, crores spent during Ganapati.
    Look at 40 odd channels on the TV- do they not show LOVE between persons (though I personally detest them showing a man coverting the wife of another man or a woman lusting for another womans husband).
    Within bounds we should not be hypocrats and become moral police.
    Lets spend our time stopping CORRUPTION that has become a curse rather than objecting to LOVE & AFFECTION between human beings.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mapusa, GOA

    Sat, Feb 12 2011

    Your aim is not to prevent women from getting harassed but to molest women in the guise of moral policing. You guys are a bunch of loosers as you cannot get real women.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • vincent, dubai

    Sat, Feb 12 2011

    very good move. certainly decency is required. let us be human beings. Mera Bharath Mahan

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • HENRY MISQUITH, MANGALORE/BAHRAIN

    Sat, Feb 12 2011

    A very happy "VALENTINE DAY" to all the Daiji readers. Keep rocking...enjoy every single moment of life. " Mohabbat jhuk nahin sakti zamaane ke jhukane se...mohabbat mit nahin sakti zamaane ke mitane se".

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