Bangalore/Mangalore, Mar 24 (Agencies): A day after controversial activist Pramod Muthalik's entry into the BJP became a huge head-ache for the party, it seems to be the Congress' turn to face embarrassment for a similar induction today.
The Congress' Mangalore unit on Monday March 24 reportedly took into its fold Dinker Shetty who was part of Muthalik's Sri Rama Sene, accused in the 2009 Mangalore pub attack case.
Prasad Attavar, who was at that time the vice-president of Sri Rama Sene but later separated to form his own Rama Sene, confirmed that Dinker Shetty was the legal advisor of Sri Rama Sene at the time of the attack, and even had a case filed against him.
Women were dragged by their hair, slapped and manhandled by Sri Rama Sene activists, who accused them of "loose morals."
Today, Shetty was inducted into the Congress in the presence of senior partyman Janardhan Poojary, who is the party's candidate from Dakshina Kannada. Sources said that soon after his induction, some of the members objected and by evening, Dinker was out.
Meanwhile, Dr G Parameshwara, president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, says he is unaware of Shetty's induction.
"Dinker Shetty's induction has not been authorised. Janardhana Poojary may be senior leader but any induction requires Pradesh Congress Committee approval and only then is it authorised and official ," Parameshwara told NDTV.
Yesterday, the Karnataka unit of the BJP had welcomed Muthalik into the party, only for the decision to be withdrawn by the BJP's central leadership in five hours.
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley told NDTV that leaders in Delhi were taken aback by the Karnataka BJP's decision, but corrective measures had been taken. "The Karnataka state unit has no idea that India has changed," Jaitley had said.