The people of Mumbai have given the thugs of the Shiv Sena a tight slap in the face by turning up in droves to watch Shah Rukh Khan's latest movie My Name Is Khan. Earlier, the Hindu extremist party had warned theatre owners in the megalopolis not to release the movie, in protest against Khan's support for the inclusion of Pakistani cricketers in this year's edition of the Indian Premier League. But many multiplexes went ahead and screened the film. And the people, it seems, have had enough gangsterism from the party, which was trounced in the last Assembly election.
It is clear that the increasingly irrelevant Shiv Sena has embarked on a familiar route to get back into the limelight — through the use of threats and violence. The party has a record of violence and intimidation against minorities, especially Muslims, and people from outside Maharashtra who call Mumbai home. If the Sena wants to be a real force in Maharashtra politics, it should offer a serious socio-economic agenda to make the lives of the people of the state better. The party's tactics have threatened to dent Mumbai's image as a cosmopolitan city, and may affect the foreign investment coming into India. It is time the Sena mended its ways.
