By pouring ink on Sudheendra Kulkarni, Shiv Sena has blackened BJP's face

The Shiv Sena's blackening of a veteran journalist's face at the launch of a book authored by Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on Pakistan's foreign policy is no shock. The party had announced it would allow no Pakistani to visit Mumbai or any other city in Maharashtra. This despite the fact that Kasuri had been given a visa by the Union government, which was fully aware of the book launch, which was hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). However, the Sena, going by its own boast, is a "sons of the soil" party, as Indians - Gujaratis, Tamils, Malayalis and those from UP - have found to their dismay. Here Indian citizenship does not matter. Nor do Indian laws.

But Sudheendra Kulkarni is no "outsider". He is a veteran journalist who took over KA Abbas' back page column in Blitz. Yes, in the past, he was a member of the CPI(M), but that was long ago. Since then, he was a key aide of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and also assisted senior BJP leader LK Advani.Kasuri held the post of Pakistan's foreign minister between 2002-2007, not recently. Nor was he a likely architect of terrorism against India, the domain of the defence ministry and the Pakistani military.

Indian intelligence agencies, like R&AW, keep track of such things, and all aspects must have been examined before a visa was issued. But blackening an Indian journalist's face is a despicable form of protest. On the other hand, a peaceful protest outside the venue, was the Shiv Sena's lawful right.

Curiously, the Sena did nothing to Kasuri, who was the allegedly devilish, fire-breathing evil Pakistani. In this context, LK Advani's criticism of the culture of intolerance made his position clear.

A number of BJP leaders condemned the attack on Kulkarni, saying it was a violation as opposed to a peaceful protest. The Shiv Sena stood its ground. However, in this instance, it embarrassed Indian efforts in Track II diplomacy.

Since India-Pakistan talks are stalled by cross-border shelling, which also claims the lives of Kashmiri civilians - a clear case of terrorism - some diplomatic channels are necessary. The Sena has just made things more difficult for India, and embarrassed the Union government. In this case, an ally has become a liability.