The Hindu : Medha Patkar hits back at Raj Thackeray

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 12, 2002

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Medha Patkar hits back at Raj Thackeray

Kopargaon APRIL 11. The Narmada Bachao Andolan leader, Medha Patkar, today dismissed as ``childish'' the Shiv Sena leader, Raj Thackeray's outburst against her and said the party's stand to vigorously pursue policies on Hindutva would add fuel to fire in the present situation when the minorities were being targeted in Gujarat.

Reacting to the Sena leader's reported statement at the party conclave at Shirdi on Wednesday that it was good that Ms. Patkar was roughed up in Ahmedabad on Sunday, she told reporters at Puntamba, near here, that ``Mr. Raj is not well-versed in politics''.

``He should first set his own house in order and sort out his dispute with Uddhav Thackeray'', the son of the Sena supremo, Bal Thackeray, she said.

``Political leaders should make all-out efforts to maintain communal harmony, instead of harping on Hindutva and the Ram temple issue'', she said.

Files complaint

Ms. Medha Patkar has filed a complaint against two BJP activists and the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) chief for allegedly roughing her up during a peace meeting at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

In her complaint, received by the Sabarmati police station through mail, Ms. Patkar charged the BJP leaders, Amit Thaker and Amit Shah besides the NCCL president, V. K. Saxena, with unlawfully confining her in a room at the ashram and threatening her, police sources said.Police have registered a case on Ms. Patkar's complaint under sections 504, 323, 341, 506 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and appointed Inspector, G. J. Barad , as investigating officer, sources added.

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