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Ageing tiger: Bal Thackeray is helped by party members, including son Uddhav and Manohar Joshi, to get seated at the Shiv Sena's Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park yesterday. pic/rane ashish |
"I have grown old and need a stick to walk. In my entire life, no one could make me sit, and even today, no one can, but my illness has forced me to sit," Thackeray said. He spoke seated on a chair because of his ill health.
But that did not stop him from taking potshots at his favourite targets. He took digs at Sharad Pawar, Narayan Rane, Sonia Gandhi and Raj Thackeray. "While he (Raj) was peeing in the quilt, Shiv Sena was born. The party doesn't need people like him," Thackeray said of his nephew.
Pointing fingers at Sharad Pawar's decision to import red wheat, he said, "He bought rotten wheat to the country just like himself." He raised the issue of Sonia Gandhi being an Italian and referred to Rane as Narya.
Joshi's nudges
Ten minutes after he spoke, Thackeray announced that he had nothing else to say and was concluding his speech. However, former chief minister Manohar Joshi prodded him to continue talking. He nudged Thackeray and reminded him about the recent bomb blasts. But, what was supposed to be a whisper could be heard by everyone on the ground. In fact, Joshi had to repeat the word thrice before Thackeray understood.
Several party leaders later complained that Joshi should not have interrupted Thackeray. A party leader, who did not wish to be named, said, "Saheb wanted to end the speech, but Joshi kept on putting words in his mouth. Watching Balasaheb is enough for us and all that he said was good." Other prominent members on the dais were Uddhav Thackeray, senior leader Subhash Desai and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.
