Thackeray sounds bugle against Valentine's Day

Thackeray sounds bugle against Valentine's Day
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MUMBAI, FEB 11: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray today demanded an immediate ban on the Valentine's Day celebrations, saying it was against the Indian culture.

``I feel that legal steps should be taken to ban the celebrations. If uncultured programmes are held to mark the occasion, Senamen will disrupt them,'' Thackeray said.

``What's this Valentine's Dday and who brought in this alien Western craze here?. I think this western influence has been imposed on us by a section of leading multinational companies with the ultimate aim of destroying our culture,'' he added.

Alleging a conspiracy by the multinationals to sell their products by corrupting the younger generation, he asked his partymen to throw away Valentine's Day greeting cards.

Thackeray said he was not sure if the younger generation had made any progress, but said it was a fact that it was attracted to such `uncultured events'. ``Now that the Centre has already imposed a ban on consumption of tobacco and cigarettes, it would do well to also ban the Valentine's Day celebrations to protect and preserve the Indian culture,'' he added.

``The Uttar Pradesh government has already imposed a ban on fashion shows, the West Bengal government has demanded a ban on Miss World competition on the ground that they do not promote any culture, it will be appropriate if Valentine's Day celebrations too are done away with'', Thackeray said to buttress his point.