By IANS,
Panaji : With Valentine’s Day on Saturday, right wing groups in Goa have started flexing their muscles, warning young revellers to tone down their Feb 14 celebrations and keep it in “accordance with Indian culture”.
Speaking to reporters, state Shiv Sena unit president Upendra Gaonkar Thursday said Shiv Sena activists have been asked to reconnoitre college campuses in Goa to ensure that students do not go ‘overboard’ with their emotions Feb 14.
“If these students use vulgar extremes to celebrate Valentine’s Day, then we will take action. Anyone crossing limits will be dealt with in typical Shiv Sena style. We will not tolerate any kind of vulgarity,” Gaonkar told reporters.
Gaonkar also said that profession of love should not be exhibited on one day alone. “This is a Western fashion and needs to be condemned,” he said.
On Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray’s birthday recently, members of the Goa unit led by Gaonkar courted arrests after vandalising a multiplex here, which had screened the award winning blockbuster “Slumdog Millionaire”. Gaonkar described the vandalism as a “birthday gift” to Thackeray.
Jayesh Thali, spokesperson of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, said the HJS was opposed to the concept of Valentine’s Day, which he said was contrary to Indian culture.
“We are going to oppose it. We have to ensure that Western culture is not imposed on Indians,” he said.