Thackeray meets governor; tells cadres to behave

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Tuesday refused to be drawn into a controversy regarding certain reports in the Sena daily newspaper Saamna.

Thackeray was talking to reporters after an hour-long meeting with Maharashtra Governor Dr P C Alexander.

Thackeray said he had asked Sena cadres not to indulge in acts of vandalism and not to repeat Sunday's incident wherein Shiv Sainiks had ransacked the homes of Opposition leaders Chhagan Bhujbal and Madhukar Pichad.

Thackeray's meeting with the governor on Tuesday had added significance since Home Minister Indrajit Gupta was in Bombay on Tuesday, for an on the spot assessment of the situation. The Congress has demanded the dismissal of the Bharatiya Janata Party-Sena government for its failure to protect Bhujbal and Pichad.

"I am not worried about the government at all, we will win," he said, adding that he was not concerned about the Centre's decision regarding the present situation. "I am more concerned about the progress of the state. We wanted development of the state which has been obstructed many times," he said.

Thackeray said the followers of Dr B R Ambedkar have been provoked by outside influences.

When asked his reaction about the attack on Opposition leaders, he described it as unfortunate and said "things will be taken care of in the future to avoid recurrence of such incidents."

He described his meeting with the governor as "nice" and said "it was a usual meeting in the interest of the state."

The Sena chief said, "I have to see that our government completes its full tenure in the office," and said that he was happy the way Chief Minister Manohar Joshi was handling the law and order situation in the state.

Thackeray was accompanied by his son Uddhav and nephew Raj.

Meanwhile, the Congress has deputed a five-member mission to Bombay to gather facts about the police firing which claimed 13 lives in the wake of the desecration of the Ambedkar statue last Friday.

The fact-finding mission includes members of Parliament G Venkataswamy, Margaret Alva, Mohsina Kidwai and Priyaranjan Das Munshi, state Congress president Ranjit Deshmukh said.

The team will also ascertain the facts about the law and order situation in the state following the attack on the homes of Bhujbal and Pichad.

UNI

'We are of one blood. Find those responsible for garlanding Dr Ambedkar's bust with slippers and hang them'