Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna carried a four-part interview of Bal Thackeray in September 2012. It was the last interview that the Sena chief gave. Here are some excerpts from the fourth part of the interview by Saamna editor Sanjay Raut.
There was a time when pen and brush were important and got respect in Maharashtra. Do they still get that kind of respect?
Today all these things have become commercial. Editors are spineless. They are saleable and dispensable. They have become puppets of political parties, which is very apparent from what they write.
How do you say that?
How do you ask that question? Newspapers’ designs tell you which political party they side with. They criticise others only to take side of a particular party. There are no cartoonists. Almost none. Lakshman and I kept that art alive.
Whether in power or not, Shiv Sena Pramukh has always ruled the hearts of people. But what is in your heart?
There is nothing in my heart. I always kept away from desires. Whatever I have, I share with others. I don’t want to earn anything for myself. I kept away from power. I could have become anything. I could have been in Cabinet of Maharashtra or India. I kept away from it. Long ago, Sharad Pawar made me JP (an official post in Mumbai). I returned that within a day. I told him that I do not desire such things. Do not offer me such things in future. People say that I am the only person in India who has stayed away from positions of power. That is my only asset. I have preserved that. Let people sit on chairs (of powers), I will remain like this. It is my desire from bottom of my heart. People love that.
You have devoted you whole life for people. Still do you feel like something has remained to be done?
I am a person who loves his people. I do champion the cause of Marathi. I have explained my stand of Hindutva. But how many times I going to do the explanation? You (media) take only what you want and leave the rest. They why should I keep giving explanations?
You have eared many friends in politics and made enemies also.
Yes. Why only politics, I have made enemies becau-se of my cartoons also.
But your enemies have also loved you.
That happens when an enemy is worthy of being loved.
Did you ever act with feeling of revenge? Because taking revenge is common in politics.
No, I never did that. It is not in my blood. I act with fairness and not to take revenge. In Shiv Sena, nobody should act with that feeling with anybody. There are disagreements in politics. An enemy should be defeated in election. But even that enemy should feel (proud) that he was defeated by a mard. I have always remained distant from revengeful acts and hatching conspiracies.