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Thackeray assails Advani's remarks

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI NOV. 21. The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani's assertion in Parliament on Monday that India can "never be a Hindu state" has drawn a diatribe from the NDA ally, the Shiv Sena.

The party chief, Bal Thackeray, said Mr. Advani had "backstabbed not just the Hindus but the entire country... I did not expect this of him". Whether to call the country a "Hindu `Rashtra' or not is not to be decided by you," Mr. Thackeray said, adding, "this is a Hindu `Rashtra' and will remain one". No one "needs your permission". At this year's Dusserah rally, Mr. Thackeray had exhorted the sainiks to call the country a Hindu `rashtra' and said they did not need any one's permission for that. However, he did not mention any possibility of severing ties with the BJP.

In a statement in the party mouthpiece, Saamna, Mr. Thackeray said till now, the Hindus and the "entire country looked not to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, but to Mr. Advani ``as a strong votary of Hindutva. Mr. Vajpayee is all the time performing a circus act to keep his `secular' image intact... but what is surprising is that when there was no need, why did Mr. Advani betray Hindus, Hindutva and the nation? Why did he do it? What did he achieve?"

By this assertion "it is possible that Muslims would come closer and even vote but by betraying the country, he has discounted the Hindu votes. Hindus are saddened. They have no guardian to protect their interests in their own country", he added.

The Sena chief spoke of how everyone in politics bows down to Muslims and "wants to emerge as their benefactor". Mr. Vajpayee was no exception. Mr. Advani, too, had fallen prey to this practice, which sees political parties holding `iftaars' for Muslims as a vote-catching gimmick. "Mr. Advani rose and slipped up on the green moss (an indirect reference to Muslims and the Pakistani flag) and fell flat on his face," Mr. Thackeray said.

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