Mumbai : Almost a week after the controversial cartoon was published in `Saamna’ newspaper, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray apologised for it on Saturday and said that it was never their intention to insult women.
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The cartoon in question had been published in reference to the Maratha rallies that are being held all over the State and had caused an uproar among the public. In fact, it also led to an attack on the office of the newspaper which was unprecedented.
Thackeray clarified that though it has been a few days since the incident, he is still upset about it and wanted to say that no one in their party thinks that way. “I am happy to say that people have kept their trust in us and I am thankful to them for this,” he said. The leader said that Shiv Sena has seen lot of difficult times in the past but has always come out strong due to faith that people have in them. He said that there are people who have tried to malign the party after this incident but this has not happened.
He said that in his position as editor of Saamna, chief of Shiv Sena and as son of Bal Thackeray he would like to apologise for what was published in the newspaper. “I want to make it clear that we are not afraid of anyone but if any woman has been hurt by what appeared in the publication then we are sorry for it,” he said. The leader also said that there have been reports about resignations by ministers from Shiv Sena but this is not true.
Replying to a query on the issue of Maratha morchas, Thackeray demanded that a one-day session of state assembly should be called by the administration for discussing the reservation issue. “The state Chief Minister has been saying that there will be reservation for Marathas but he has not said when,” he said. A time-frame has to be spelled out for this purpose and hence this session is very important where different parties can give their stands on this subject, he pointed out. When asked for details of his stand on this issue, he said that he will speak in detail on this at the Dussehra rally.
Thackeray also made a mention of the strikes made by Indian Army into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and said that he is proud of those soldiers who made this happen. “I had also called up the Prime Minister and congratulated him on this achievement,” he added.
