Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: June 16, 2001
To counter the Democratic Front
government's move to implement the Srikrishna Commission report, the Shiv
Sena today chalked out a two-pronged strategy.
It consists of challenging the action
before the high court and simultaneously launching a massive campaign to
gain political mileage. The strategy - on which top Sena leaders had been
working for the past few days - was finalised today at a meeting held by
Opposition leader Narayan Rane at his Vidhan Bhavan office.
Accordingly, former minister of
state for Home Gajanan Kirtikar will challenge the action against him in
the high court next week. Kirtikar and another Sena MLA, Nandkumar Kale,
were recently arrested by the Special Task Force under the charge of inciting
communal feelings during the 1992-93 riots.
In a petition, the party will object
to the implementation of the report saying the previous Sena-BJP government
had rejected it when it was tabled in the state legislature. ''The DF government
began report implementation without seeking the legislature's nod which
is in violation of legislative rules,'' Rane said.
The Sena will challenge the move
in the high court and point out the STF failed to give the arrested Senamen
a chance to clarify their stand before initiating action against them.
''We discussed the case with our advocates. They told us the whole action
can be proved illegal and politically motivated,'' Rane said.
Even the offences registered aganist
the Sena leaders are bailable and the maximum punishment for such crimes
is three years. ''Is there any point in reopening the cases after 10 years?''
he said.
On the other hand, the party is
set to wrest political mileage out of the DF government's action. This
will include circulating booklets showing how injustice was being meted
out to leaders who protected Hindus during the Mumbai clashes. The Sena
leaders will address meetings across the city criticising the state government's
''undue action to appease Muslims''.
''We will tell the people what the
panel said about assaults on Hindus and Muslims. They are the best judge
to draw a conclusion,'' Rane said. The party will highlight the persons
who deposed before the riot panel and spoke against Sena were biased against
the party.
