Thackeray endorses his support to Pawar for leading country

Mumbai, Mar 22 (UNI) Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today said his party will stand behind the NCP chief Sharad Pawar and help him realise his long-cherished dream of leading the country.

In an editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamna', Mr Thackeray wished Mr Pawar ''best lof luck'' in his endeavour and advised him to become the 'Chhatrapati' in Delhi, an unfulfilled dream of many Maharashtrian rulers, including the Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji. He, however, cautioned him not to fail like JD(U) leader Deve Gowda.

''If Mr Pawar will show his courage, then Shiv Sena will consolidate entire Maharashtra behind him,'' Mr Thackeray said in the editorial 'Sharadbabunchi Ghodesvari' (Sharadbabu's horse-riding).

The editorial in fact favoured Mr Pawar and his attempts, while criticising the Congress.

The Sena chief said if Pawar had joined him earlier, he would have become the Prime Minister by now.

He said Sharadbabu should continue his horse-riding and watch further developments.

The editorial said when a Congress spokesman warned Mr Pawar not to ride two horses at the same time in the backdrop of an alliance with Shiv Sena, Mr Pawar gave a detailed list of alliances worked out by the Congress and in certain cases, it was riding on three horses at a time.

The editorial recalled Mr Pawar's political journey in the last 20 years, saying Mr Pawar had had decided to take 'sanyas' from politics and to go to Himalayas after he had resigned from the Congress. However, after floating his own outfit, he merged it in Congress in presence of late Rajiv Gandhi.

On the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's foreign-origin issue, Mr Thackeray said though Pawar had raised the issue at one stage, he later did a u-turn and came together for the sake of power in 1999.

''Though untouchability is followed in politics and society in some areas, it is never followed in power. So how one can blame Sharad Pawar for the same'', the editorial observed.

UNI