Mangalore case: Notice politically motivated, says Renuka

New Delhi/Bangalore: Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury on Tuesday said the Mangalore authorities were not doing anything to tackle rising "fascism" and she has not received any court notice on her comment of "Talibanisation" of the Karnataka town after an attack on women in a pub there by right wing activists.

Asked for her reaction to reports that the Mayor of Mangalore had filed a court notice against her for the comment, an angry Women and Child Development Minister termed the legal move as "politically motivated".

"Why are they taking action against me? Why are they not doing anything to tackle the goons and lumpen elements and the rising fascism?" she asked.

Asked what action she planned to the court notice, the minister said: "I do not intend to give notice to the Mayor of Mangalore. They say that they have sent me a notice but I have not received any notice so far."

"It seems it (sending of legal notice) is politically motivated and to divert attention," she said.

The Mangalore court orders came on a criminal case filed by Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) Mayor Ganesh Hosabettu and 14 others on Monday. The complainants have charged Renuka Chowdhury with issuing statements inciting communal disharmony, assertions prejudicial to national integration and creating or promoting enmity and hatred or ill-will between classes.

The Mangalore Mayor has filed the case in his individual capacity, his advocate P P Hegde said.

The complainants contended that Renuka Chowdhury"s "Talibanisation" of Mangalore statement had "hurt citizens of Mangalore". Her statement gave "the wrong impression that the entire Mangalore is in the grip of communal disturbances", they said.

Hegde said he had sent a legal notice to Renuka Chowdhury last week on behalf of Hosabettu and she has not replied to it.

Renuka Chowdhury had condemned the attack on young women on January 24 in a pub in Mangalore by around 40 members of the rightwing Hindu group Sri Rama Sene as "Talibanisation".

Mangalore police have filed cases against 27 Sene members including the outfit president Pramod Muthalik. He was not present in Mangalore when the attack took place but had justified it. He later apologised for the attack on women.