Sri Ram Sene activist Dinker Shetty being inducted into the Congress' Mangalore unit.
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 today took into its fold Dinker Shetty from Mr Muthalik's Sri Ram Sene, which is accused in the 2009 Mangalore pub attack case. Women were dragged by their hair, slapped and manhandled by Sri Ram Sene activists, who accused them of "loose morals." Mr Shetty was the Sri Ram Sene's legal advisor then.
Today, Mr Shetty was inducted into the Congress in the presence of senior partyman Janardhana Poojary, who is a candidate from the Dakshina Kannada constituency.
Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, who was on stage when Mr Shetty was inducted, told NDTV that he did not know Mr Shetty was an accused in the pub attack case. "Corrective steps have been taken and he is not a member now. Action against those who facilitated his entry will be taken," Mr Fernandes said.
Even the president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Dr G Parameshwara, said he was unaware of Mr 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 ," Mr Parameshwara told NDTV.
Yesterday, the Karnataka unit of the BJP had welcomed Mr Muthalik into the party, only for the decision to be withdrawn by the BJP's central leadership in five hours.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," Mr Jaitley had said.