Bal Thackeray comes out in support of Malegaon blasts accused

PUNE: Coming out in support of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and other Malegaon blasts accused, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Saturday lashed out at pro-Hindutva elements for "disowning" them and asked the legal community to come forward to defend the trio.

"The entire Hindu community should support the Sadhvi, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyaya and Samir Kulkarni who are being framed by the ATS," Bal Thackeray said in his trademark fiery editorial in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna.

Thackeray said he did not support any kind of terrorism that "weakens the country and we regret the loss of life in the Malegaon incident. But if the pseudo secularists in the country are supportive of Afzal Guru (Parliament attack convict), why should we not love and be proud of Sadhvi Pragya, Ramesh Upadhyay and Samir Kulkarni?"

"Every day Islamic terrorists are planting bombs to kill Hindus in India. The latest blasts in Assam too were engineered by Bangladeshi migrants. If a Sadhvi Pragya or a Ramesh Upadhyaya or a Samir Kulkarni is born in the present milieu, they cannot be blamed," he added.

Alleging that the ATS machinery was being used at the behest of the Congress which is practicing politics of Muslim appeasement, it said, "the arrests of cultured and educated individuals in connection with the Malegaon blasts is an effort to crush Hindus to please Muslim fanatics in the country."