Mamata Banerjee offers to host Ghulam Ali concert in Kolkata

Political parties and Bollywood celebrities on Thursday criticised the Shiv Sena for forcing the cancellation of a scheduled concert by renowned Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali in Mumbai and Pune.

“Sad that #GhulamAli is not being allowed in Mumbai, I invite him to come to Delhi and do the concert”. Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said that art and culture has no boundaries and is it against democracy to impose restrictions on the basis of caste and religion.

Ali, who has been spreading peace and harmony across the border with his music since the past 45 years, was scheduled to perform here and in Pune this week as part of the fourth death anniversary tribute to late singer Jagjit Singh.

On Tuesday, the Shiv Sena, through its mouthpiece “Saamana”, urged the central government to attack Pakistan in retaliation to the cross-border attacks on Indian solders and civilians.

Mumbai is the the capital of western Maharashtra state, where the Hindu nationalist BJP rules in coalition with the Shiv Sena. “We have performed in Mumbai on several occasions before and people have always showered their love on us”, the ghazal maestro said. This blatant hypocrisy goes to show that these bans & threats are only ploys used by Shiv Sena to divide people and appease their vote banks. “He was like a brother to me”, he said. “This is not proper and I think we should think over it”, the senior BJP leader and Union Minister for Road, Transport, Highways and Shipping said at a press conference here at IWPC (Indian Women’s Press Corps). He wanted India-Pakistan ties to improve.

“We all enjoy Ghulam Ali songs”. Ghulam Ali though hurt by Shiv Sena’s stance claims that he still loves India and would keep coming back to the country. “Neither Ghulam Ali nor any Pakistani artiste will be performing at the 9 October event”, organiser Randhir Roy told reporters. Ghulam Ali concert can be held in Kolkata. “However, if they do not abide to our request, we will be forced to protest in our vintage sena-style”, said Badrapurkar. What is even more ironic in thaton September 20 2015 Aditya Thackeray spoke at event at Taj Land’s End in Mumbai where Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan performed. “Indian artists, when they come Pakistan, they do not face such opposition”, Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit said.