Thaindian News

Mumbai, March 21 (IANS) Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray Monday attacked the Congress party for practising dynastic politics and said it has ruined the country’s political fabric.

In a no-holds-barred interview published in the party mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray said: “”I am totally against this dynastic politics.”

“The Congress has ruined the country’s politics. How can we accept what is thrust on us? The Nehru family has imposed its family members, now Sonia Gandhi and even Rahul Gandhi. This is a dynasty, only one family is continuing it.”

He also trained his guns on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. “I have always said that she is useless. But there are people (Congressmen) who worship her. I refuse to accept that she is so great.”

Elaborating, he said the only difference between her and the rest of the countrymen was the colour of her skin.

When reminded that he had always considered the late prime minister Indira Gandhi as the only ‘man’ in that party, Thackeray readily agreed and asked the interviewer to refrain from comparing her with Sonia Gandhi.

“Yes. I have differences with her, as is natural in politics. But, Indira Gandhi was Indira Gandhi. She grew up in the Nehru family and interacted with great personalities. The political training she got was very different..,” Thackeray explained.

In reply to a question on the recent developments in Egypt and the problems plaguing that country, Thackeray posed a counter question and asked how many political parties are there in Egypt and how many in India?

“There is a need to implement ‘family planning’ on Indian political parties… Somebody leaves a party, goes out to form his own new party. Any differences in a party and they split to form new parties… This is what is going in our country,” he said.

Thackeray also touched upon a variety of issues including corruption, decay of the political system and how linguistic division of states has created problems for the country, and the Shiv Sena’s opposition to electronic voting machines.