For, the playwright, Pradeep Dalvi, was quoted in a rightist Marathi newspaper as saying: ``I am sure when viewers leave the auditorium, they will destroy Gandhi's statues in everychowk and smash all signboards carrying Gandhi's name.'' Not the words of a passionate writer. Not the words of a votary of freedom of expression. Not the words of a responsible citizen. These are words of plain hatred, nothing less nothing more. These are the words of a man hell bent on destroying an icon of our times, an enduring image which stood for a set of principles that we as a nation have tried to abide by in the last 50 years. And in this attempt he is certainly not alone. That in the thick of the controversy he still managed to declare his intention to launch a new project - a play on Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray - is not an indication of Dalvi's cool demeanour, it's a sign of political cunning. There is every reason to believe that he was dangling a carrot in front of the government as a quid pro quo for its support to his Gandhi bashing.