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Thackeray still against Pak tour, but 'had to bow down'

Prasanna Zore in Bombay

Angry Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray, in a front-page statement in Saamna, the party mouthpiece, said he had to bow down before "anti-nationals" and allow the Pakistani team to play on the Indian soil.

The statement appeared on his 72nd birthday, which coincides with the completion of one decade of Saamna.

He made it clear that he is still against the tour.

Thackeray, reiterating his objection to the tour, said he had to revoke the ban on the cricket series following a request made by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani who were "pressurised by anti-national forces to conduct the series".

"Patriotism is a sin and crime now and there is no feeling for nationalist sentiments," he said. "It is unfortunate that I have to ask Shiv Sainiks to withdraw the agitation."

"We had expressed our opposition to the Pakistani cricket team in the past and even today," continued the Sena chief, "we are not the ones to stoop low before the enemy trying to destabilise India. [But] our relationship with Vajpayee and Advani transcends the realm of politics. That is why we immediately withdrew our agitation.

"We had expected that those who have stooped low to allow Pakistan's cricket tour of India would, if not support us open-heartedly, at least welcome our decision. But the whole episode has become so reprehensible that (Bal Gangadhar) Tilak and (Gopal Ganesh) Agarkar would have hung their heads in shame had they been alive."

"At least now," he said, obviously responding to Vajpayee's anti-Sena comments, "our opponents' souls will rest in peace."

Thackeray said he regretted the present situation. "There are many cobras sitting on their father's dens, rustling up support against us by creating awareness. There are many Kumars [Kumar Ketkar, editor of Maharashtra Times, a leading Marathi daily] in disguise trying to bite our strident nationalism like dogs," he said.

"These dogs are creating a furore over our nationalist feelings by calling us ignoramus. But it must be admitted that they are barking at us with unalloyed loyalty to their masters, wearing a strap of slavery around their necks, working in an atmosphere where they have no freedom over the chain of newspapers that they are supposed to look after..."

Alternating between rhetoric and understatement, Thackeray asked his followers not to disrupt the matches between India and Pakistan.

"Let us take a pledge not to show our courage by disrupting cricket matches. Revolutionaries, Forgive us! We are surrendering to you by not doing our duty of protecting national interests," he said. "We are surrendering to and stooping before those people who have opposed our respect and loyalty towards our nation.

"Friends can become foes anytime, but converting foes into friends is a great experiment and let it happen in our country's laboratory. To make this experiment successful I openly request my dear Shiv Sainiks not to waste their energies.

"The day is not far when your nation will be reduced to the state of hapless Draupadi because of the dirty politics of the Congress and Mullah Mulayam Singh. At that time we will unleash our latent energy like Lord Krishna and that is why we should withdraw our agitation now. Till today you have never breached my words. Do the same now. Please forgive us that our opponents are more loyal to India than us.

"For the last 50 years post-Independence we and our Shiv Sainiks have committed the crime of espousing the cause of loyalty and nationalism. We have acted like traitors. Please forgive us! Forgive us! Forgive us! We have surrendered to you!" the Sena chief concluded.

Earlier in the day, well-wishers thronged his residence to wish him on his 72nd birthday.

Additional reportage: UNI

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