Shiv Sena's Bal Thackeray passes away: Doctor
Thackeray, 86, has "breathed his last", his physician Jalil Parkar told a huge crowd assembled outside the veteran politician's house in India's financial hub of Mumbai.
Thackeray, the founder and president of the hardline Shiv Sena (Tiger Army) party, was one of the most prominent and outspoken figures of India's Hindu nationalist movement, and rose to prominence with his fiery rhetoric against immigration in India's richest city.
Thackeray, who was admitted into a central Mumbai hospital in July, died of cardio-respiratory arrest at his home, the doctor, Jalil Parker, said.
Thackeray is one of the best-known and most controversial figures in the western state of Maharashtra and its capital, which his party renamed from Bombay to Mumbai.
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@Anum: Oh god,what is the problem with you.I dont know your allah and prophet,now OK.I have my own god and you have your own.I will respect my one and you should yours...when i said you should not worship or respect allah?I dont believe in islam or allah...thats it.Its my country india which gives me enough freedom to do so.Seems like if it was in your hand you would have imposed islamic teaching on Indian hindu as well.Its ok ,if you got offended coz of his anti pakistani sentiments.But he didnt do any harm to pakistanis.As far as what he did with muslim in india is concerned,india is not your country.If you will rise your voice ,with the same gall we will retaliate you for what you did with hindus in pakistan.It will be better if you stay away from us coz you well know that india has more power as compared to what it has before.Mind your own business.This religion thing irk us.If you r coming to india or whoever from pakistan is coming to india,be sure that you r going to face blasphemy.This is not the same world.here different people live and different laws applies.if you dont like .pl dont come.Coz of this inherent intolerance in pakistanis, we will not allow them to go for people to people contact.You people will radicalize indian muslim,tearing down our social fabric.
@robinhoodpande: to k b kale "...balasaheb didnt believe in indias constitution…" Let us assume you are right. Is India's Constitution sacrosanct? If it is, why have we amended it umpteen times? If it is, why are we entertaining the notion of "constitutional amendments"? Was Martin Luther King Jr a traitor, to be condemned? Indian Constitution is a man-made document as is every single constitution in the world. By its very essence, it is a fallible document to the same extent as those who wrote it were fallible. They were no prophets and could not, indeed did not, arrogate to themselves a direct line to God; they were our best at the time who did the best they could under the circumstances, for their times as far as their inherently myopic human vision would let them see. If they missed out on something, it has to be open to corrections/ amendments. The genesis of such amendments/corrections starts on the streets of India. Heed those streets and you avoid a full-blown insurgency such as Maoist. Bala Saheb voiced that discontent of the streets of Mumbai. If you ask me, he did you a favour! Your condemnation of him smacks of ingratitude!
Great leader of India and Maharashtra
@Nitish: Islam teaches me peace... so I would say "May Allah give you understanding and hidayat". I love Islam because it even stops Muslims to use bad words for any religion! exceptional people may also lie in your religion as well. And, I love my country.. my beloved PAKISTAN;) who cares you don't like?:)
@gp65, @robinhoodpande As I said, I can't convince you even if I try my best. This is because the parochialism of other states is not publicised because their state governments are not as indifferent to the people's problems as Maharashtra's have been. When WB, AP and TN do it, nobody knows it as their governments tacitly support jobs for locals so there is no need for a Balasaheb there. Maharashtra needed one because our state governments (mostly Congress) were totally indifferent to this factor and tried to get votes from various linguistic blocks! This never happens in most of the other states as their interests in jobs for locals is spread in all parties. When casteism hit Tamilnadu, Iyers and Iyengars had to run away and there was only one place. Mumbai and Maharashtra! And that meant loss of jobs to Marathi people. But this pain can be felt only by those states which suffered, not other states. Maharashtra suffered and hence a Balasaheb was born! But this is not the place to wash our linen.
@kb kale
if other states are also following the footsteps of balasaheb as you are claiming.then thats no justification for beating and torturing poor immigrants....A PERSON'S SIN CAN NOT BE JUSTIFIED BY COMPARING IT TO ANOTHER PERSONS SIN.....constitution of india provides right to its every citizen to live anywhere in india...balasaheb didnt believe in indias constitution...remember how he lashed out against sachin tendulkar when sachin said he plays for india first and then maharashtra....thakrd was a perfect example of antinational element.
@K B Kale: I am a Gujarati speaking person born and raised in Mumbai. I respect your opinion though as you mentioned in this case we do not agree. If some other states also practiced sons of soil policies - those too are surely inconsistent with the spirit of our constitution. As I mentioned, just saying Jai Hind before Jai Maharashtra does not change the fact that he put interests of Maharashtra ahead of India's interests. Also EVEN IF there was merit in the demands, the bullying and intimidation that were used to pursue them were surely questionable.
this guy propagated hate, not just against other religions but even non-Maharashtrian Hindus. He also urged suicide bombers. I can not understand how a cartoonist in his young age could become so cold blooded later on.Looking at this teachings, there was no one worthy of living other than a Hindi from Maharashtra. make you r own mind if you would like this guy.
Everybody has to die.
The passing away of Bal Keshav Thackeray popularly known as Bal Thackeray is a blow to the Shiv Sena the party he had created and to his family an irreparable loss. No amount of condolence can really fulfill the vacuum that has been created by his demise within the Shiv Sena and within his family. Bal Thackeray who has been the 'Uncrowned King' of Maharashtra since the last thirty five to forty years although a leader of a state level party has enjoyed an international repute. He has been a leader with a difference, a leader who did believe in the democratic values of society but at the same time was opposed to distortions and mutations in the democracy of this country to name a few, minority appeasement, non-uniform development of the various states of India etc. A proud Maharashtrian he has been the person to have given the people of Maharashtra an identity to reckon with. His idea of 'Marathi Manoos' had been created at a time when perhaps it was needed. In India, the short fall of development has been the uneven progress within the nation. While Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Delhi have been progressive as states the others have been 'bimaru' states of this nation. Uttar Pradesh has been one of the most non-progressive states and Bihar that is today one of the fastest developing states was not at all progressive. The skilled and unskilled labour from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been pouring into Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and even Rajasthan since the last few decades have overcrowded these states giving a rise to slums. Unhygienic conditions in the slums have caused disease and even epidemics. This is what the Shiv Sena as well as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have been objecting to in Maharashtra which is not wrong if observed objectively. The ways adopted by the Shiv Sena have no doubt been arbitrary but that has been perhaps the way governments have to be made to understand. The solution to the problem that is developing the not very developed states of India is the only way this influx can be stopped. The Shiv Sena now has to move forward without their Supremo with a vision and have to tread on a path that brings them success. That would perhaps be fulfilling the dreams of Bal Thackeray. The responsibility of the Sena now rests on Uddhav Thackeray who has to lead the party and continue with the work done by his father.
@gp65: We are on opposite side of a wide divide and can never convince each other. I don't know what state you come from, but I am from Maharashtra! In almost all Indian states the government of the State is silently following what Balasaheb was professing and preaching. States like West Bengal have been doing it from 1948, the time of their second Chief Minister Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. Tamil Nadu does it. My then colleagues told me that when Vizag Steel plant was being built and later when it started operating, poor people who flocked there for blue collar jobs were forcibly made to return by the train they came on by Telugu goons because they wanted jobs only for Telugu people. All this was successful because the State government of any party in such states supported it. There were only few exceptions and Maharashtra was-and-is one of them. Whichever the Government, INC or NCP, were having an attitude of "couldn't care less" for jobs for Maharashtrians! So Shiv Sena was born. Before that his cartoon weekly "Marmik" used to publish how all Central Government offices and some Corporates in Mumbai were devoid of Maharashtrians, as few as 1 in 100! That is what triggered the need to have Shiv Sena! Like Mumbai, Bangaluru also has a similar problem. One can live his whole life there without knowing Kannada the same way one can spend his life in Mumbai without knowing Marathi. Can you imagine a non-Bengali surviving in Kolkata without knowing Bengali? Forget it. We are all Indians and patriotic Indians. But these problems do exist and need to be solved!
@jism: Do u have statistics of how many Muslims were killed in all the countries that u have mentioned? This is Muslim being used against Muslim ... Others are "Collateral" damage! Get a life ...
Thakre was a merchant of malevolence & proved, despite being a humbug, that hatred as stock-in-trade could fetch him huge profits. Fear is the key, he learnt early,and taught others.He despised fellow Indians that were not Marathi Hindus. His legacy of polarisation will sadly continue. Some of his victims suffer from Stockholm syndrome; they end up praising their own tormentor for perverse reasons, or for self-preservation the way Bollywood did.
for all his life he spread hatered no guesses where his soul would be!
"all i can say is balasaheb brought shame to hinduism and hindus…."
robin, you can be ashamed of whatever shames you. You have that right.
"is bashing muslims means glorifying hinduism??"
No. Nobody has accused him of glorifying Hinduism, whatever you may believe. He saw a conflict and stood up for what he believed was right. Sometimes he enforced his politics with violence. If you are ashamed of such behavior, you have every right to be ashamed of this or anything else.
"Or beating helpless and poor north indian street vendors means glorifyin hindus?? "
Again, as a North Indian myself, I am surprised you are taking his defending the right of Maharastrians so personally. To the best of my knowledge, he did not devote his life to spreading hatred against North Indians, or inciting violence against North Indians. You may have been told differently.
"Or calling shutdown and damaging public property every now and then in mumbai called hinduism??"
No. Nor does any sane Hindu does everything in accordance with 'Hinduism'. Do you?
"he damaged the reputation of indians big time…therefore other than Maharashtra he was hated in every state of india"
That is news to me to every other Indian I know. Are you transferring your own hatred onto others?
"he used narrow minded people like u throughout his life to spread his propaganda of hate."
Let's just be glad that broad-minded people like you are spreading hatred for him based on reasons that exist in your fancies alone. Still, so long as you are consistent in your hatred, you can claim to be sane like many others who do not agree with you.
May his soul rest in peace, and may he be a sawarg-bashi! I, as a Pakistani & a Muslim, offer my sincere condolences to his lovers & followers. PS: Shame on those commentators who are being insensitive to a leading Indian figure's death. He was hero for many, and after all a human. Such mock on a human's death is neither taught by Islam nor it is part of our culture.
The comments section proves how all the indians who are teaching us liberalism on our extremist issues. I have yet to see a comment from thousands of indian who is relifed by death of this extremist leader.
What a moment! Just the right time to see the real faces of most of the (extreme right-wing) Indians commenting on these sections. In Pakistan, of course, they are all for the liberal elite to take over and secularism to rule but in their own land, they are ultra conservative right-wingers who would shed tears for all the vile characters and extremists harbouring nothing but hatred towards others, especially Muslims. Heartening to see though that on Hindustan Times, some commentators are still sane enough, and crucially not morally bankrupt, to say the right thing. But here, what else can one expect.
funny thing that his symbol was tiger ,but a tiger never eats grass, only eats meat. and he never ate meat, only ate grass...symbol should have been a goat or cow...
I wonder how can one who did not BELIEVE in 'peace' REST in 'peace'?
anyway he was amazing character.
I am a Indian and I say - "Good Riddance". One less hate-mongerer in the world
To a better world - CHEERS!!
Who is he? Some kind of a guru!, can any one list out his achievements. Thank you
who is this thakeray?
He was a great Hindustani. We loved him more than Jinnahbhoy
@Anum: So what you will do??????????I also dont like your pakistan and your religion.I think you didnt understand the meaning of my comment.
@Rakhi Sawant: "I heard a rumor that he passed away on Monday but the authorities waited for the weekend to announce it, to minimize untoward incidences." When Jinnah died, his death was not announced for a full weak. Of course, one of the reasons was that there might be emotional public disturbances. Main reason was they didn't know how the succession would be handled; Jinnah had willed that his sister would inherit even his public position and no one wanted Fatima. Within a very short time, Fatima had been killed by asphyxiation!
@ravi
either u r ignorant or perhaps u havent seen the days when shivsena was in power in mumbai... When there was sivsena in power there were so many strikes observed regularly in mumbai forced by thakre...riots were instigated against muslims and north indians on regular intervals...shops were burnt...malls,theatres vandalised..taxi rickshaw drivers beaten....marathi goons were given free pass on the roads....mumbai at that period lived under fear of thakre and his gundas.....thank god he was thrown out of power in his own state long ago..OTHERWISE MUMBAI COULD HAVE BECOME LOT WORST THAN KARACHI..
Yes, those living "thoughts" are being expressed by supporter of this dead bigot on this forum. It is sickening to see so many Indian supporters of him on this forum. So much for enlightened & progressive Indian society.
@robinhoodpande: just do some research and find out who does the maximum number of crimes in Mumbai and then you get your answers.
If some people are doing that doesn't mean every Pakistani or Muslim is like that! Just the way every Hindu is not having the beliefs of Shiv Sena and just the way every American is not supporting Drones! would you agree on that point or not? I have some Ahmadis in my relatives, and we are sunnis... Iam totally aware of what you depicted but, If brutal killings, corruption is happening here doesn't mean our masses are doing it! huh!. Infact, our masses are becoming victims who still are in hopes of light, who still are optimistic for their country, for enemies destroying our homeland and religion turning into friends some day, and those enemies majorly spread from neighbouring borders! And, that what we said, that we are not against India, we are totally against every person who is speaking against our religion, or doing evil deeds against our homeland! That, surely, is intolerable!
he was lion for sure , i must thank him ,he didnt allow mumbai to become mini karachi. Proud of him U may agreed or not , who cares?
@Blithe: except in the Maharashtrian heartland of Mumbai and Pune, you can play anywhere I think! I read that somewhere although I am not very sure. You could always confirm.
In another news: "Our correspondent has just reported that a new inmate bal thakray was held by guards while he was busy inciting hatred among the residents. He refused to accept that there was no more hindu majority in that area and that Muslims actually are in majority here" Divine News, Hell studios.
(reporter also mentioned that due to lack of sense of humor in Pakistan this news should have been censored..)
@Anum: wow! " we muslims" .....is that why shias and ahmadis nd balochis are that well taken care on a daily basis in Pakistan? And ofcourse bengalis were not muslims right?? The world thinks the real problem is that muslims target muslims in Pakistan and we know how peaceful all muslim pakistan is. Next time please be more thoughful when you define " what you are?. We had enough nuisance of "we one religion people"!!!
Ek Tha Tiger. Aisa na koi hua na koi hoga. Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra
@dr priyanka and other who think thakre was great
being a hindu all i can say is balasaheb brought shame to hinduism and hindus....is bashing muslims means glorifying hinduism?? Or beating helpless and poor north indian street vendors means glorifyin hindus?? Or calling shutdown and damaging public property every now and then in mumbai called hinduism?? he damaged the reputation of indians big time...therefore other than maharashtra he was hated in every state of india.....he used narrow minded people like u throughout his life to spread his propaganda of hate.
@k b kale: "His views were controversial to some, but he was 100% loyal to his motherland. Always said “Jai Hind” and only then “Jai Maharashtra”. May his soul rest in peace."
He may have said Jai Hind before Jai Maharashtra but his actions did not match his words. He did not think that every Indian had the right to live anywhere in the country as promised by our constitution and wanted to keep Mahrashtra for Marathis. Mumbai the commercial capital of the country belongs to all of India not just Maharashtra and I am sure you are aware about how he treated Gujaratis and Tamilians in the 1960s and Biharis more recently.
Ofcourse his concern for getting justice for victims of 26/11 is widely shared by Indians of all hues.
Finally ofcourse I would like to join you in saying 'May his soul rest in peace'.
So .... Cricket series is back on?
A great man in the true sense of the word. He spoke out for the rights of Maharastrians, and sometimes against others, including North Indians, when he saw his people being marginalized, but he had no personal rancor indeed. May he rest in peace. Such great men do not come often.
@Nitish: We are not against India, but anyone who would say evil words or commit evil deeds towards our religion, our country or our people, we Muslims or Pakistani's won't ever tolerate that. !
Is it worth discussion at all? .... For shev sena people or Bachchan family may be, but for us ?????????????? Let's talk about Plato, virtue or Socrates may be. Seven lines from Apology, "................... Accordingly I went to one who had the reputation of wisdom, and observed him -- his name I need not mention, he was a politician; and in the process of examining him and talking with him, this, men of Athens, was what I found. I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and still wiser by himself; and thereupon I tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me, and his enmity was shared by several who were present and heard me......" We need some statesmen, don't we?
May he rest in Peace. The Taliban Hate Pakistan and Pakistanis yet our newspapers are full of their news. A newspaper job is to report news, NOT to take sides and PROVIDE SELECTIVE NEWS! Guys, Please talk sense!!! He was a major Hindu leader in India and his death is NEWS! Just like the death of Osama or the thousands of taliban in Afghanistan is! Now Relax
@Pakistani: I am glad this news has not gone well with those " muslims are one" kind of thinkers like you. No wonder this burns you and the likes of you are those that actually make Thackereys popular-not the other regular ones as you seem to think!!
I sincerely hope that the departing soul of Balasaheb ignites the urge in the hearts of the two estranged cousins Uddhav & Raj to reunite for the betterment of Maharashtrians & Indians. That would be a real tribute to his memory. Their reunion would be a fitting legacy to his 47 years of fight for Maharashtrians' interests.
@Muhammad Rohaan Sadiq.........Because India and Pakistan are like estranged brothers...we share so much, none in the world can be compared.....Can you think of living without bothering a brother which is also permanent neighbor of yours, don't fool yourself, you cant....neither country can do this. Therefore media can not be blamed.
Am deeply saddened by the passing of this great warrior of our motherland.
@Pakistani: I am Also in your favour.Exactly wht`s a big deal?In the preasence of Baal thakery,pakistani cricket team has visited india in semi final 2011,kya okhar liya usne jo ab okhar leta,For pakistanis,news of ghaza,it very harmfull.
Oh, but we are here in Pakistan and he is there in India. Anyway, I'm hungry. Let's go to India and have some authentic curry.
@WB .. WHy dont u die irrespective of ur age ? Shame on you ..
@Dr.X: More than a year since they have blocked the seas and land routes to Gaza..and then u expect people to act all nice"
Israel blocks supply to Gaza= justification for rocket attack from GAZA Pakistan blocks NATO supply to Afghanistan = justification for NATO attack on Pakistan?
Bala Sahebji, I disagreed with you on many issues, but, also admired your courage and conviction. You were a true patriot, a lion in true sense who never minced words in condemning the appeasement politics of our chameleon politicians, that's why they were always scared of you. History will always remember you as a great and fearless son of mother India. Rest in peace.
Is that headline news?? An 86 year old man died, whats the big deal?? Is anyone surprised that an 86 year old is dead?? Shame on ET!
We can go there and play cricket now!!!
Great Personality!!!. Watch this video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pwjPx-wejI
RIP
Et where is my comment.
O stop with the Stupid Rocket attacks on Israel.. Palestenians have the right to survive/exist too. More than a year since they have blocked the seas and land routes to Gaza..and then u expect people to act all nice while suffering from poverty and hunger..... it is just stupid propaganda and stupid excuse to wage war against the people of Palestine.... If they were so worried about Rocket attacks and Peace, they could have simply given them more space and freedom to exist. This is an excuse by the Israeli Regime to kill Muslims. All this killing just to get votes in the elections in Israel ! How Pathetic! Now a days it is simply easy to kill a Muslim. Just label him a terrorist!! Wake up before its too late!
RIP Balasaheb...He was a great leader
@Acorn Guts: Israelis are "occupiers"....the land belongs to the Palestinians and they have every right to retaliate against occupation forces.....just because Israelis have occupied the land for 40 years does not give the illegal occupation any legitimacy....but then, how would you understand this simple proposition, your Indian forces are doing the same in Kashmir !!!
Shiv sena doesent mean Tiger Army.. It means Shivaji's ( a maratha king's army. Great loss for India... Rest in Peace Balasaheb.. & like he said only the body dies the thoughts live forever. Jai Hind
I heard a rumor that he passed away on Monday but the authorities waited for the weekend to announce it, to minimize untoward incidences.
I am not a Maharastrian. But I supported wholeheartedly his fight against the appeasement of Pakistan by the Indian government, as well as North Indians' arrogant occupation of Mumbai.
I know people won't like my comments. But people never like the truth.
@Acorn Guts: if someone slap on you, would not you do the same?
RIP. He was a fearless leader who stood tall in Maharashtra. Though he remained as a controversial figure throughout but was instrumental in ending Hindu-Muslim feuds in Maharashtra. Pakistanis would too miss him as he was quoted quite often for India bashing.
Now pakistani cricket team can visit india freely :)
Bala Saheb: Rest in Peace! India shall remember you as one in its pantheon of hard-core patriots...always!
Empathies with Asma Jehangir
While I do strongly disagree with his ideology, I am going to rise above and wish his departed should well. Rest in peace Bal.
@Pakistani: Plight of Palestinians? Yes that's true but what about indiscriminate rocket attacks that are targeting Israeli civilians at the same time? If you condemn unjust violence, condemn both sides. Both ends are equally vile and disgustingly inhumane.
Bal Thackrey Passed away Mumbai started closing link text funeral tomorrow
Video link
May Balasaaheb's soul rest in peace. As an Indian first and foremost and a maharashtrian after that, I feel sad and yes it is a big loss for India and of course Maharashtra!
@Pakistani:
I don't understand why our media is so obsessed with India?
@k b kale: well said..jai maharashtra right from the core...deeply saddened by this news. RIP Balasaheb
The orchestrator of demolition of Babri Masjid. please Rest in Hell......................................
Jai hind, Jai maharashtra's slogan shall be forever in our heart, and we shall still fight the foriegners and be loyal to our motherland and never give up on faith and truth balasaheb,...
@Pakistani: it will be a good gesture if you can take in to consideration the sufferings of others too, i mean, along with Muslims who are being killed by Muslims themselves in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria etc, the non Muslims also have a life.
And, if you do simple mathematics, in all these decades, the number of Muslims killed in the hands of Muslims far surpasses the number of Muslims killed by non Muslims,these include all the wars, the terror organisations,drug trafficking, the shia- Sunni conflict, the Iran-Iraq war, Arab spring,gulf war etc.
now,ask yourself, does the brotherhood you talk about really exists? well, you may say it does, but the facts,the ground reality and history is saying a different story. And it will not until they show some civilized behavior towards others, and by others i mean humans and animals in general.
Balasaheb, we'll always miss your wisdom and care... May you get moksha... We all love you and will take care of your son uddhav and yuvraj aditya... And we'll always keep the flags of hindutva up high as high it can be...
Balasaheb was the lion of Indian politics. If I can put it in an equation =
Gandhi+Jinnah+Nehru+Bose+Bhagat singh = Bala Saheb Thackrey
There never was a man like him in the past and never will be in future RIP saheb
We all, particularly we Maharashtrians, are deeply saddened by his passing away. He was a patriot to the core. His views were controversial to some, but he was 100% loyal to his motherland. Always said "Jai Hind" and only then "Jai Maharashtra". May his soul rest in peace.
All we can say is "Rest in Peace" now!
why this has become news for Pakistan? making this a news shows how much commitment they have to peace when they talk of peace.
another father of pakistani free media passes away
another sad day for Pakistani media
Bal Thackeray loved both Pakistan & Pakistani's so much that his death is such an amazing loss for the whole of the Pakistani nation that it should really be reported as a breaking news.. While the Sufferings of Muslim's in Gaza sholuld be sidelined.. SHAME ON THE PAKISTANI MEDIA