Mumbai: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray
today came in defence of his party workers and blamed the attack on the 'Maharashtra Times' office on NCP's State President Madhukar Pichad.
"Police should register case against Pichad and not
against the Shiv Sainiks. Pichad's statement was responsible
for the attack and not the Shiv Sainiks," Thackeray said in an
editorial in party mouthpiece 'Samaana'.
"It is good to hear from state Home Minister R R Patil,
that the vandals will not be spared. However, first the people
involved in 'paid news' should be gagged," he said.
Equating the Sharad Pawar-led party to a "dance bar", the
editorial said, "NCP is also a dance bar. Titillating girls
are brought in to dance there and the money, looted from the
people is showered upon them."
Defending party MP from Amravati, Anandrao Adsul, a
report about whom led to the attack, Thackeray said, "Adsul
protected his freedom of expression and nobody has the right
to call him an offender."
Lashing out at 'Maharashtra Times', which published the
news item, saying Adsul may join NCP, the editorial said, "How
it can be called the freedom of press?"
"We cannot support the attack on the newspaper, but why
such attacks take place also needs to be looked into," it
said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 30, 2012, 15:27