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 | | TOUGH TALK: Sanjay Raut | The ploy by Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray to divert attention to his party on the Marathi issue seems to have worked with the Congress and the state government promising swift action against him.
In an editorial in the Saamna yesterday, ‘Ek Bihar, Sau Bimar’, the Sena chief made scathing criticisms on the Biharis and also made numerous jokes on Bihar. So swift was the condemnation from all parties that Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh who was in New Delhi for a planning Commission meeting immediately promised action and said, “We are seeking a legal opinion on the issue. No investigation will be done in a hurry. If there is a mistake it will worsen the situation,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
Today in the Saamna, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, “The CM should understand that he is a representative of not only Maharashtra but also Mumbai. In the parliament if a Bihari MP makes an argument or insults Maharashtra or Maharashtrians, as the CM he should oppose it and give a proper answer. But this work has to be done by the Shiv Sena and the Saamna. He should appreciate our act. If he seeks legal action, he is insulting 7-crore Marathi-speaking Indians.”
The Congress was not amused, “This is just a fight between two cousins and Bal Thackeray has jumped in to the fray for his son’s defence. The two cousins rake up the Maharashtrian issue whenever they feel threatened by each other. But Maharashtrians have seen through this game as both Raj and Uddhav have not done anything for them,” said Gurudas Kamat, Mumbai Regional Congress Committee Chief.
He however added that the party would demand strong action against Thackeray for the editorial and would ensure the safety of the north Indians. “Thackeray is not a demi god; if he steps out of line, we will take action against him,” said Kamat.
Undettered, a senior Sena leader said, “We have always raised the issue of Maharashtrians and we won’t budge from our stand. The editorial was also intended to show that when it comes to protecting
Maharashtrians, the Sena is the only party.
MNS leaders said the Sena rhetoric was just bark with no bite. “The Sena is only writing edits, but we are actually helping the Maharashtrains. Our workers have been going to employment registration offices throughout the state and getting details about unemployed Maharashtrians. We will get them jobs, not the Sena,” said Wagesh Saraswat, VP MNS. Raj replies to police’s gag order
 | | Raj Thackeray | ‘Freedom of expression is my fundamental right,’ says Raj Thackeray in response to the show-cause notice issued by the Mumbai police asking why the gag order against him should not be extended.
Adv Sayahi Nagre, who represented Raj, submitted a five-page response on behalf of his client to DCP (operations) Ashutosh Dumbare on March 5.
“We have also said there is no prevailing emergency situation due to which the restrictions must be continued. We have also contested the police’s claim in the show cause notice, which says a signature campaign run by the party may cause law and order problems,” said the lawyer.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) K L Prasad said, “This is a quasi judicial process in which the officer concerned will decide the future course of action based upon a written reply and the prevailing situation. I do not have any control over it.” | | 
