Another Cartoon Outrage

[FishForLunch]

Raj's party to set Bush afire today
By: Prashant Shankarnarayan
March 25, 2006

Dr Shami Ahmed
Outraged at the depiction of US President George W Bush as Lord Shiva in a cartoon, members of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) — Raj Thackeray’s new party — decided to burn effigies of the president yesterday. But the protests, led by MNS worker Dr Shami Ahmed, were stalled for a day at the behest of the RCF police.

A general physician, Dr Ahmed was supposed to lead a small group of workers to the protest in the RCF area. But the RCF police requested them to postpone their plans by a day when the party sought permission to demonstrate against the cartoon that first appeared in International Herald Tribune on March 3.

The controversial Bushiva cartoon
“We were busy with bandobast duty yesterday. So, we asked them to hold the protests on Saturday (today) afternoon,” said an officer from RCF police station.

Meanwhile, the MNS workers used the extra time to get more party workers to join the morcha.

“We will see to it that at least 500 workers join us today,” said Dr Ahmed, while adding that Raj Thackeray will not be present at the meet. “But if the protests spread to the other parts of the city, he might join us,” he said.

A former Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena activist, Dr Ahmed voiced his party’s ire when he said, “Koi baaharwala hamare bhagwan ko Bush ka darja de, toh hum kaise chup reh sakte hain?”

Translation: If any outsider compares our god to Bush, then how can we keep quiet?

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Considering Bush did not draw this cartoon why would they burn his effigy. I guess these losers were bored and wanted to have a nice efffigy burning party.
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BUSHIVA

The cartoon depicts US President George Bush in the form of Natraj (Lord Shiva in his dance muse). While he holds two placards, titled ‘Stop Iran Nukes’ and ‘India Nuke Deals’ with the help of three hands, the remaining two hands hold a club and a ticking nuclear bomb. It first appeared in the International Herald Tribune on March 3.