ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Thackeray says commissions are a waste of time

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, reacting to over the Srikrishna Commission report, today said commissions are a waste of time and money as they always prove to be irrelevant.

Addressing the media at his residence 'Matushri' in Bandra, in north-west Bombay, the Sena chief said people should rather go to the court instead of appointing the commissions which ultimately prove time-consuming.

''I hate commissions, as they make no difference between recommendations and judgments. Therefore there is no need for them. Enough is enough,'' Thackeray added.

When asked about the commission report indicting him in the riots of December 1992-January 1993, he said, "I have been indicted several times before for several things, including the rise in prices of vegetables and railway accidents. However, to blame someone without evidence or proof is unfair."

"Despite being given adequate time of five years and a lot of money, the Srikrishna Commission could not meet the deadline. We had cancelled the commission but later, with the recommendation of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, restored it," Thackeray said. Thus, his indictment "has come as a revenge", he added.

When asked about his inflammatory editorials in Saamna during the riots, as pointed out by the commission, the Sena chief said, ''They were bound to be that way. The situation was such that everyone was partial, but I was trying to convey to the people not to take sides.''

He criticised the report as 'biased' and said that it has no mention of incidents which took place at Radhabai Chawl and the murder of Mathadi workers. It is also unfair to mention the communities by their names, he said.

"When we do it, it is called hamla (attack) and when we react to what they do, then we are held responsible for the incident," he pointed out.

The Sena chief said Chief Minister Manohar Joshi did a good job of giving justice to both the sides, and agreed with the government's policy of rejecting the report.

When asked for his reaction on the demand of leader of the opposition in the legislative council, Chhagan Bhujbal, to arrest him, he said, ''Bhujbal is a bekar (useless) person."

When asked about reference to leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sharad Pawar, in the report, he said, "Pawar, who was called by the commission during the enquiry, was let off lightly while I was not called into the witness box."

About strictures against the police, he said the police have been criticised either way, whether they do their duty or not.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report