Muthalik's entry into Goa gives hard edge to Parrikar's soft Hindutva

"Ferment and not feni is brewing in Goa this monsoon, after Pramod Muthalik announced his intention to set up a state unit of the Sri Ram Sene, a right-wing Hindu outfit that became nationally notorious five years ago, when its activists attacked youngsters in a Mangalore pub. Muthalik says he wants to end Goa’s culture of “wine, drugs and nakedness.” He told reporters in Panaji last week that “the image of Goa in the rest of India is bad”, after delivering a speech at the All-India Hindu Convention held in Ramnathi village, 35 km from Panaji. “Young men and women from Delhi and other places say, ‘Let's go to Goa to enjoy the wine, drugs and nudity there.’” Muthalik promised he wouldn't use violence to achieve his ends, but his record doesn’t inspire confidence. He was at the helm of the Sri Ram Sene in 2009, when more than three dozen of the organisation's activists attacked young men and women drinking in a Mangalore pub because they felt the youngsters were violating traditional values. A year later, a Tehelka sting showed Muthalik accepting money in exchange for staging an attack on an art exhibition in a bid to excite communal tension..."