BBC Tuesday, 24 July, 2001, 18:45 GMT 19:45 UK Hindus dog Bush over cat's name

Bajrang Dal wants an apology from the US consulate

Activists from a hardline Hindu nationalist group in India have named a puppy George Bush, after the American president, because they are offended that his pet cat is called India.

A spokesman for the Bajrang Dal group in Bombay, Shankar Gaikar, said it could not tolerate what it perceived as an insult, and had decided to get its own back.

The group is seeking an apology from the US consulate in Bombay.

But staff there said the president's cat was actually called India Ink rather than India because of its dark blue-black fur.

The party is now urging members across the state of Maharastra to call other dogs George Bush .

Naming ceremony

The George Bush puppy dog had his day at the weekend. He was placed in an elaborately decorated swing and officially named George Bush at a ceremony held on the outskirts of Bombay.

Bajrang Dal workers distributed sugar to hundreds of passers-by, a traditional practice during naming ceremonies in India.

Workers demonstrated outside the US consulate to demand an apology.

A member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which has links with the Bajrang Dal, alerted the party to the outrage after coming across the first cat's name on the internet.

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001

Answers

A friend of mine, who travels to at least one exotic place each year with the rest of her family, names her cats for these trips. Current cat is Africa. Previous cat was China.

Meanwhile, why is it a diss to the U.S. or the Prez to have a bunch of little G.B.'s running around lifting their legs on Indian soil?

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001

Oh, and they would do better to follow the example of T.S. Eliot...

"Gus is the cat at the theater door His name, as I ought to have told you before, is really Asparagus But that's such a fuss to pronounce that we usually call him just Gus"

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001

You'd think those idiots would have more important things to worry about than a cats name.

It isn't as if the thing answers to it. Being a cat, it hears the name and ignores the person. Being a cat, what else could it do?

Maybe George could go over there and offer to buy some of them cows they have running around mucking the place up. that would show 'em!

LOL

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001

Barefoot, it is very important that cats be named. Aside from all of TS Eliot's reasons, a cat needs to know when its scoundrel roommates are being called.

-- Anonymous, July 25, 2001