After aggressive tactics by Congress workers on Monday - they filed a defamation suit against the restaurant owner and allegedly forced him to close down the eatery yesterday - Aditi Pure Veg was open today. It drew larger-than-usual crowds but customers looking for souvenir receipts were disappointed - the contentious joke had been removed.
The Youth Congress denies that it bullied the owner, Srinivas Shetty, into closing early yesterday. "We did not shut down the restaurant - we just took legal action. We protested peacefully," said Mumbai Youth Congress Chief Ganesh Kumar Yadav.
The state branch of the party was not contrite either. "The way it was written on the bill, it was a clear case of defamation against the UPA government. We had filed police complaints. There was no ransacking by the youth Congress. People are being misguided," said state Congress president Manikrao Thakare.
"It is plain intolerance," said a customer, "Everyone has the right to personal opinion - they could have asked the owner to just remove the comment instead of ransacking the place."
But another customer said the owner should not have been forced to remove the comment. "What about freedom of speech?" she asked.
