The Hindu : I will act if pushed to the extreme, says Thackeray

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 19, 2002

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I will act if pushed to the extreme, says Thackeray

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI Oct. 18. The Shiv Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, has defended his speech made on Dusserah for which the Mumbai police have registered a case against him. "I did not speak against Muslims but against pro-Pakistani Muslims and extremists.'' Neither would he regret anything "because what I had to say, I have said. Do what you have to do.'' He "accepts Muslims as citizens of the country. That's all. That ends the matter,'' he said.

The Maharashtra Government's legal action was "only aimed at showing that it was doing something.'' "If what I said was objectionable, then I would not have spoken at all. I am a responsible person and have some responsibilities'' towards the country.

Mr. Thackeray spoke of "some steps in (his) mind'' which he declined to "reveal in advance'' but his actions with regard to the NDA arrangement would speak for themselves when it happened. But a collapse of the Government would automatically ``bring chaos'' to the country which "Pakistan wants.''

He expressed his displeasure at the Centre's handling of the extremist issue but said, "What can I do? My crime, my weakness is I love my country and am stuck.''

If the Centre, he cautioned, "crosses all limits'' in its inability to deal with the issues, "then alone will I come out'' of the NDA — "I will act'' when pushed to the extreme — but with the crisis being so large, "what can I do? I will have to act then for the country's sake. God save the country.'' His alliance with the BJP "would depend on how the relationship worsens.'' He was waiting for the Centre's response to his controversial speech.

Addressing the media at his residence, Mr. Thackeray drew a distinction between the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee "of the BJP and Mr. Vajpayee as Prime Minister in the Government.'' He apparently has a lot of respect and affection for the former but on the handling of issues, Mr. Thackeray said, "I see no signs of anything anywhere or else extremists would not have been able to spread everywhere.'' The Sena chief insisted on calling India a "Hindurashtra" because when the country wanted partition, "the Muslims demanded a separate nation'' and what was left behind was a nation of Hindus. "The rest is Hindu.''

Neither was he worried about the BJP's opposition to this concept but said, "If I am wrong, show me the way.'' He would "walk alone'' if need be but, happily, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal "and people'' were with him on the need for "suicide squads of Hindus".

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