Controversial Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik’s membership cancelled hours after joining BJP

BANGALORE/NEW DELHI: Pramod Muthalik joined the BJP in the afternoon and got booted out shortly after as the leadership was forced to react swiftly to a torrent of attacks on social media over admitting the man who led an attack on women in a Mangalore pub five years ago in the name of saving Indian culture. Leader of the Sri Ram Sene fringe group, Muthalik faces more than 40 cases, including the promotion of enmity between communities. Even Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar of the BJP opposed Muthalik’s entry, demanding that the party annul his membership.

BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar told ET: "As soon as I learnt about it, I spoke to Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh and conveyed my disagreement to Muthalik joining our party. They intervened, and set things right." Muthalik was ushered into the party by Karnataka BJP president Prahalad Joshi in the afternoon in the presence of former CM Jagdish Shettar and former deputy CM KS Eshwarappa in Hubli. The latter sought to shrug off the embarrassing faux pas.

"We thought it will help us, but our national leaders have decided against it," Eshwarappa said. Muthalik had said after his induction that he had joined BJP with the objective of ensuring that Modi became the next PM. He said he was joining BJP without conditions. But as Congress and other parties began an onslaught on the BJP, its president Rajnath Singh directed Joshi to rescind the move.

Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said in Delhi the central leadership had not been consulted on the decision and had disapproved of it. "It had instructed the state party to reject the membership of Muthalik." Soon after the party chief’s call, Joshi said the admission entry had been set aside. Muthalik, 51, had barged into the pub in Mangalore in 2009 along with Sri Ram Sene members and assaulted youngsters accusing them of behaving in an "obscene manner".

Congress slammed the BJP’s move to induct Muthalik. CPM leader Brinda Karat lashed out at the BJP and described Muthalik as a "criminal who led a mob to attack women". "The Modi wave is to get criminal, corrupt people into the party. That is why Jaswant Singh is raising questions," she said.

(With inputs from PTI)