US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

It's the beginning of the end for the Shiv Sena, says Prabhakar Kunte

Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Bombay

"My objective was not to harass Bal Thackeray, but to see that elections are held with due respect for the law," says Prabhakar Kunte, the veteran Congressman who filed the case that led to the Shiv Sena leader's disfranchisement for, in effect, a little more than two years.

In his petition, Kunte had stated that the Shiv Sena leader had misused religion for garnering votes. Thackeray, Kunte recalled, had said at a public meeting, "Today, the Hindu religion is in danger. What are you all doing?" This, he said, was in direct contravention of the secular ethos of our country.

"I attach lot of importance to the secular nature of our country. And by this decision [against Thackeray], I feel relieved that my fight against communal forces has been vindicated," adds Kunte.

Kunte contested the Vile Parle assembly constituency in a by-election in 1986. His Sena opponent was Dr Ramesh Prabhoo, former mayor of Bombay.

Though Kunte lost the election, he went to court against Thackeray and Prabhoo, accusing them of misusing religion for political ends.

Prabhoo was disqualified under the Representation of the Peoples Act.

"Today, Thackeray feels humiliated and it is worse than capital punishment for him. He is being denied a right which every Indian has in this country," says Kunte.

In Kunte's opinion, the Constitution is clear that every Indian has the right to preach and practise whatever religion he believes in. But "our religion and culture teaches us to respect other religions and this Thackeray has forgotten," he says.

"When you go to a temple, you keep your shoes out, isn't it? In the same way, in an election campaign you have to keep your religion out," explains the former Maharashtra minister.

But isn't it true that Kunte's party is also indulging in the same practice when it asks for Muslims to vote for it? Kunte has a ready reply: "You can ask for a Muslim vote. But a candidate or his party's leaders cannot ask the people to vote for a particular candidate because he is a Muslim!"

Kunte feels that Hindutva is no longer an election issue for even the Bharatiya Janata Party. "Today, the BJP is trying to put Hindutva on the backburner. They too have realised the secular ethos of our country. And that's the reason they are having these alliances with other parties."

In Kunte's opinion, since the BJP has no other real issue, it is targeting Sonia Gandhi as a 'foreigner'.

Kunte, who was once close to Sharad Pawar, is now incensed with him for harping on Gandhi's foreign origins.

"All these years, Pawar was with Sonia Gandhi. And now because of his selfish motives he is stating that she cannot become the prime minister because she was born in another country. It's disgraceful," he says.

Kunte feels that the definite decline of the Shiv Sena has begun and henceforth it will be downhill all the way for the outfit.

Tell us what you think of this report