'Let MNS adopt our child, we can give birth to more'

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray broke his silence on Raj Thackeray, his estranged nephew who heads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). In an interview with Sudhir Gadgil for Saamna, Thackeray taunted Raj for hijacking his ideas. He warned the Sena workers that if the saffron alliance returns to power, they would have to work harder than the Congress-NCP. Otherwise, people will throw them out too. Excerpts from the interview:

About Raj and his MNS
There are some people (Raj and his MNS) who claim they are shouting for the Marathis. But they can never equal what I have already done for the sons of the soil. I had once said, ‘Marathi is my breath, and Hindutva, my soul’. They have hijacked my statement. Anyone can adopt a child, but the child’s father cannot be ignored. They do not have their own child. So, they have adopted ours. No problem. We have the power to produce more such children.

About his days in prison
In 1971, I spent three months in jail. I was then fighting for the Marathi people on the Karnataka border dispute, and went behind bars for them. I did not come out on bail. Some people keep on saying that they are ready to go to jail for the Marathi people. They do go to jail, but come out on bail immediately.

About the other deserters (Narayan Rane,in particular)
I look at them neutrally. They stabbed me from behind, but the blades of their knives were not sharp enough. It was their association with the Sena that worked magic for them. It turned a gangster of narrow lanes into a chief minister. I do not care for such people.

About Uddhav Thackeray’s performance
Uddhav is doing a great job. He understands politics. He is well-read. He seems to have the answer to every question. He is not a vagrant. I like his style of working. And because he is is working, I now get more time to think.

About his health, and Sena-BJP’s prospects
My health is fine. There is no problem with my recovery (from angioplasty). However, I am not allowed to move around much. I won’t be able to campaign for the polls. But I am sure that the saffron flag will be back on top of the Mantralaya.

Performances by the previous Shiv Sena governments
We constructed most of the city’s flyovers. It was we who built the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. I had performed the bhoomipujan of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

His concept of good governance
The power should be used to serve the people. It should not be used to make money. The sainiks must realise that the people will not elect them just for the sake of removing the Congress. Our party will have to deliver. If we don’t perform better than the Congress, the people will throw us out too.

Your message to the sainiks
We, the Thackerays, respect Shivaji Maharaj a lot. He used to say, ‘Do not create troubles for the poor, and do not loot the rich.’ My message to the sainiks is the same. I have decided to put up a board, with these words inscribed on it, at the Matoshree. A sainik should neither forget poverty, nor should he show off his riches.
About ‘outsider’ netas.

Whether it is Murli Deora's son (Milind) or Gurudas Kamat, they have no vision for the development of Mumbai. They are outsiders who cannot relate to the basic problems of Mumbaikars. We  are the ones who understand Mumbai and Maharashtra the best