In a statement that could strike political controversy, Shiv Sena Goa unit president Shivprasad Joshi said many people in neighbouring Karnataka cannot sing the national anthem.
“People in Goa are patriots. I know many students who can sing complete Vande Mataram unlike Karnataka where many people do not even know how to sing the national anthem and they also do not know our national fathers,” Joshi said on Sunday.
Goa and Karnataka are in a state of conflict over the sharing of Mahadayi or Mandovi river water.
In this context, Praising Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik, whose entry is banned in Goa, he said Muthalik has done a commendable job in Karnataka and he is a protector of women.
“When Sri Ram Sene workers went to the Mangalore pub (in 2009) to make our sisters understand that it is not fair to indulge in pub culture, parents of a girl who was alleged to have been assaulted by the Sene workers thanked Muthalik. The parents said Muthalik was doing the right job of protecting women,” he said. The Sena is not demanding a ban on ‘pubs’ but, is against the “late night affairs outside these places”, he added.
“You visit a pub in the night at 12 and you find girls and boys sitting outside and drinking. Is this fair? We don’t mind what tourists do here, but when it comes to local boys and girls, it is our duty to educate them,” Joshi said.
