Thackeray condemns attack on Ketkar's house

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has condemned the attack on the residence of Loksatta editor Kumar Ketkar, but in the same breath, also questioned Ketkar's alleged loyalty to Gandhi family.

In his editorial in the Sena mouth piece Saamana, Thackeray said many times Ketkar, a "devotee of Sonia Gandhi", lashes out at people through his columns for the slightest criticism of Gandhi family.

However, Chhatrapati Shivaji is an idol for entire Maharashtra and Ketkar hurt the sentiments of the people by questioning the need for the proposed Shivaji's statue off the Mumbai coast, therefore the violent reaction was obvious, he added in the editorial published on Friday.

While saying that attack by Shiv Sangram was not justifiable, Thackeray said that if Ketkar was opposed to statues, this "drive" should begin with demolition of statues of members of Gandhi-Nehru dynasty.

The country has maximum statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. If one statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji is being erected by the state Government, what is wrong in that, he asked.

Thackeray also took a dig at the 'non-Maharashtrian' ownership of Loksatta - an Indian Express group paper - asking whether views expressed by Ketkar were his own, or of his bosses.