NAGPUR, February 8: Imitating Kesri's walk and copying Sonia's accent, Bal Thackeray provided nearly 45 minutes of non-stop ``entertainment'' to the people of Katol where he was campaigning for the Sena-BJP nominee Ashok Gujar at the Ramtek constituency.Speaking before a gathering of curious onlookers and party workers, Thackeray got into his Sonia-bashing act using his favourite expletives. ``This woman will sell the country. Her husband and she have already looted Rs 60 to 65 crore. It is my pledge to you, I will never allow her to become prime minister,'' he thundered.
Even Indira Gandhi was acceptable. At least she knew how to speak the national language. Sonia reads out her speeches in Hindi but they are first written in the Roman script, he said, copying a heavily-accented line from one of Sonia's latest speeches for effect.
Sonia is nothing but a creation of the media, said Thackeray, and went on to launch a scathing attack on journalists. The cause of his ire with the media was the manner inwhich a recent public meeting of Manohar Joshi at Ramtek, which turned out to be a fiasco, was reported. Nearly all newspapers carried photographs of cattle grazing on the empty ground against the backdrop of the dais where the chief minister was supposed to address a ``massive public meeting.''
Not satisfied with the routine clarifications issued by his ministers, Thackeray took press photographers to task in his speech. He was equally angry with journalists for the fanfare over Sonia.
``The ``gai'' (cow) is more ``pavitra'' (pure) than this ``bai'' (Sonia),'' he said. ``At least the cow gives us milk,'' he said and added after a pause and some laughter, ``this woman is out to suck our blood.''
He recalled that during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, while all pilots were summoned to fight for the country, there was one, Rajiv Gandhi, who was holidaying with ``this woman'' in Sicily.
Thackeray appealed to the people not to fall prey to the media hype about Sonia. ``This is a crucial election. The future of thecountry depends upon how you vote,'' he cautioned the gathering.
He scoffed at the United Front rule and pointed out how various leaders, including Narasimha Rao, Deve Gowda, Gujral and Kesri, had brought the country to the brink of ruin for their selfish motives. He was particularly harsh on Kesri, imitating his walk on the stage and copying his way of speaking. Former chief minister Sudhakarrao Naik, who had been hobnobbing with the Shiv Sena but ended up taking a Congress ticket, was not spared either. ``That man is unable to stand erect on his feet, and wants to stand for an election.''
He also ridiculed Sonia and the Congress for offering an apology over the Ayodhya demolition. ``If there is a chance of a conflagration between two communities, I had suggestef that a national monument in the memory of martyr Mangal Pande be constructed at the disputed site. It was only loud thinking. Advani says, he will build a temple there. Let him. The real issue, however, is that of the welfare and development ofthe country and its people,'' he observed. Earlier, Ashok Gujar, Nitin Gadkari and Anil Deshmukh also addressed the gathering. While Deshmukh spoke about the need for a stable government at the centre, Gadkari ridiculed Datta Meghe for his constituency-hopping. Shiv Sena leaders Subhash Desai, Gajanan Kirtikar and Sanjay Nirupam, and legislators Ramesh Bang and Balwantrao Dhoble were among those present at the public meeting.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
