Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s announcement that his government will give “full protection to [Ghulam] Ali’s concert in Mumbai” is enormously welcome. The Shiv Sena’s warning against the concert has only confirmed the party’s image as a bully. The Sena, an NDA constituent, is free to express an independent view from the government on Indo-Pak relations, even if a political party with 18 Lok Sabha MPs and a cabinet minister at the Centre ought to know better than to issue physical threats when it wishes to proclaim its difference.
But now, Fadnavis must stand by his word and ensure that Ghulam Ali performs in Mumbai. His music transcends national colours and explores the borderless world of art. And as a great metropolis, home to a large population with an appreciation of music, Mumbai should not be deprived of a world-class performer. It may be too much to expect the private organisation that had booked the Shanmukhananda Hall to hold the concert in memory of the late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh to risk the Sena’s ire and organise the event. Instead, the Fadnavis government must step in and offer to host Ghulam Ali. The involvement of the government will reassure the maestro and his fans, and hopefully compel potential miscreants to stay home. If Fadnavis reaches out to Ghulam Ali, he will only be taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, after all, invited his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to witness his swearing-in ceremony.
