Meet Sudheendra Kulkarni, the communist who became a BJP ideologue

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The attack

• Shiv Sena attacked Sudheendra Kulkarni on Monday, smearing his face with black paint

• The attack was during former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri\'s book launch

• Sena alleged that Kulkarni had disrespected Indian soldiers by sharing a stage with Kasuri

The person

• Kulkarni is a former BJP leader, considered close to LK Advani

• He was earlier a communist, but joined the BJP in 1996

More in the story

• How Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray openly met with Pakistanis

• What are Kulkarni\'s earlier trysts with controversy?

Former top diplomat Sudheendra Kulkarni was attacked by Shiv Sena activists on 12 October for organising a book launch for former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

"They told me if you don't listen to us, this is what we can do," said Mr Kulkarni.

The former Bharatiya Janta Party advisor's face was completely blackened and his clothes were stained too.

It seems though that Shiv Sena has forgotten how its own icon Bal Thackeray had once met Pakistanis.

Maybe Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's fault is that he isn't related to Dawood Ibrahim??? #SudheendraKulkarni pic.twitter.com/xgsRZHicV2

— Scotchy (@scotchism) October 12, 2015

Bal Thackeray meeting Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Pakistani envoy, in 1998. No ink attack then? #ShivSena pic.twitter.com/9Dcmm7Iw4H

— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) October 12, 2015

He met Pak HR activist Asma Jahangir & discussed issues relating to communal violence, 2008.And still no ink attack? pic.twitter.com/dpwkSfUBmo

— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) October 12, 2015

Anyhow, here's some background info on the man who faced the Sena's wrath.

All you need to know about Kulkarni

1) An IIT Bombay graduate, Kulkarni hails from Karnataka and lives in Mumbai. He is the chairman of think tank Observer Research Foundation.

2) A former member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Kulkarni joined BJP in 1996. Of this ideological switch he said, "People like me were living in an illusory land. I realised very late in my life that the Marxist ideology is not suitable in India - in fact, I would say it is unsuitable for any corner of the world."

3) Kulkarni worked as the executive editor for Blitz, a Mumbai-based tabloid.

Sudheendra Kulkarni. Photo: Getty Images

4) Kulkarni formally joined BJP in 1996. However, he was associated with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani from the late 80s, at a time when the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was just taking off.

5) He helped Vajpayee write his speeches and in 2008, he played the role of a strategist to Advani.

6) As a member of the BJP, Kulkarni was associated with the India Shining campaign and rode on the inaugural Delhi-Lahore Bus. However, after Advani's controversial 'secular' Jinnah comments in Karachi in 2005, Kulkarni had faced a lot of flak for misleading the BJP stalwart.

If Bal Thackeray can meet Javed Miandad, why can't Kulkarni share a stage with Kasuri?

7) In 2008, a sting operation was carried out that involved Kulkarni and another BJP activist. Later televised and known as the 'cash-for-votes scandal,' the operation purported to show a bribe of Rs 1 crore being offered to three BJP MPs on behalf of the Indian National Congress-led UPA government.

The alleged bribes were intended to obtain the support of the MPs in the 2008 Lok Sabha Vote of Confidence. Subsequently, both the Kishore Chandra Deo committee - a parliamentary panel - and the police investigated the arrangements and questioned various participants, including Kulkarni. In 2011, Kulkarni was remanded in judicial custody for a period of two-months and was released on bail in November of that year.

8) In 2012, Kulkarni again became close to BJP and there were reports of him working closely with Nitin Gadkari. He even defended Gadkari over various corruption charges.

9) In one of his articles, Kulkarni praised Vajpyee and said that Modi should adopt him as his role model. He said, "For example, Atalji never endorsed the RSS view that India is a Hindu Rashtra."

"My own belief is that if the BJP under Narendra Modi wants to govern India with stability and success, it must adhere to the inclusive and integrative ideology of Atalji."

Once a leftist, Kulkarni joined BJP in 1996. He was close to Advani and wrote speeches for Vajpayee

10) Talking about BJP's campaign strategy for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Kulkarni said, "This is the most personalised campaign ever mounted by the BJP. Not even in 1996, 1998 and 1999, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the party's prime ministerial candidate, was the BJP's campaign so focused only on one person."

He also criticised BJP for keeping seniors leaders like LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj on the backfoot.

"The BJP is indeed overconfident if it thinks it will get majority on its own." he said.

11) Miffed over his leader Advani being 'sidelined' in the party by Narendra Modi, Kulkarni started distancing himself from the BJP. After the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he completely disappeared from the political scene of New Delhi.