The media has presented Balasaheb Thackeray as a mafia like figure who only spreads hatred and lives by extortion, particularly by some very horrible translations of selected speeches.
While he will always be a villain for the leftists and cocktail circuit journalists, judge for yourself by few of his speeches:-
You might be a Marathi in Maharashtra, a Gujarati in Gujarat or a Bengali in Bengal. But unless you adopt a the role of a Hindu, you can never lead a life of self respect.
A partition like condition has risen up again. It was Jinnah then, now its the Shahi Imam and Shahbuddin. Islam khatrey me ( Islam in danger) they say. Islam in danger? Your women. Your children. You endanger their lives and then you blame us. Its you, who has put Islam in danger. Isn’t it told in your religion that never betray the land of your birth? What are you bastards doing then?
Do I become divisive because I call for a shutdown in the state because our Hindu brothers are killed in Punjab and Kashmir? And what are the ones who shout Pakistan Zindabaad? Now they brand me anti Sikh. No, I’m not. I have merely asked for the boycott of Khalistan sympathisers.
You wont find anything better than Hindu Dharma in the world. Because its constantly improving itself. No other religion has undergone such reforms. Not Christianity, not Islam. We have never shirked from discarding what is bad. Four Varna system? Not relevant. Discarded. Women not treated equally? Discarded the reasons of it. But yes, overt tolerance is not going to do us good. Respect others, but if they want to finish you, finish them first. You need to revive this spirit. Otherwise you will be wiped out.
How many Ravans are you going to burn? No matter how much you try, you will not run out of them.
Merely shouting Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai wont get you a living or a wife. One cant live alone by history. One has to create history.
This is an anecdote of my father when he was in his early teens. One day when he arrived home in the evening, he enquired about the decorations going in the neighbourhood. His mother told him that the old man next door was getting married to a young girl. My father was livid. He rushed outside with a matchbox in his hand, went next door, proclaiming ‘Call the old oaf outside. Let me see how he gets married’. He was taunted ‘What the hell can you do’? In answer, he burnt down the stage set for the wedding.
I’m trying my best to live upto these values that I have inherited.
Those who accuse me of being a tyrant should come to my speeches. This crowd of thousands cant be gathered by fear, but by love alone. And only Shiv Sena can keep this multitude in order. When they turned out Hindus from Kashmir, I got them justice by ‘remote control’. Neither the state nor the central govt could do it. This is the power of your Shiv Sena, and it comes from you. I cannot pride on myself being the Shiv Sena ‘Pramukh’ if I cast aside the ‘Shiv Sainik’.
I dont believe in superficial democracy. People ask me ‘ You beat up the MLAs who leave your party and join the Congress’ and I reply, yes, why not? People elect them with good faith on a Shiv Sena ticket and these scoundrels defect to other parties for money? Henceforth, I appeal to you, especially the women. If such cases happen again, thrash these good for nothings publicly. These pimps deserve nothing better.
My father gave me a mantra to live by- Don’t go to any astrologer, don’t show anyone your horoscope.If you have to show him your hand, show it in some other manner. Don’t care what position the stars and the planets are in. As long as you have self confidence and inner strength in you, you wont perish no matter where you are in the world. And that’s what I’m following.
Bow down to your parents before bowing down to God. They are your gods. They have given birth to you, not God.
People accuse me of disrespecting the law many times. Well, I don’t believe in the system of democracy we have in this country today. Should I kiss and cuddle the democracy which couldnt give you basic necessities of life like food, water and sanitation in four decades? What do you think that queue of people squatting by the roadside every morning are doing? Definitely not singing the national anthem, as far as I know (1988)
If I cannot infuse nationalism in the youth then where should I infuse it? In water taps? I will keep writing like this. I will do whatever is necessary to further the cause of nationalism. They can file any number of cases against me as they please. If they have their way, maybe I will have to open my office near the judge’s chambers so that I can rush to him with the copy of my latest article ‘Your Honour, see if this offends you’. What kind of democracy is this?
Are Hindus sacrificial goats, to be herded by their enemies one by one- Bring them here one by one so that we cap lop their heads of one at a time? No. Don’t live like progeny of assholes (Gandus). Otherwise your living or dying is one and the same.
Due to your (government’s) weakness, our soldiers have to pay for it with their lives. And you award medals to their widows and feel great about it? Is that the end of your responsibility? What is the widow to do with the medal with the man of the house gone? Will that sustain her?
All the time you praise about how clean other countries are. Look at Hong Kong you say. Then why do you play ping pong when it comes to getting your act together to clean your own cities?
How does your Shiv Sainik appear as he is marching towards Ayodhya? Like the roaring lion spreading terror, with the gait of an intoxicated elephant, like the assault of a rhino which reduces to powder a rocky mountain, like the manoeuvres of a leopard: our infinite blessings to these Hindu warriors who are marching towards Ayodhya (Saamna Editorial, Dec 1992)
Tell me, if Pakistan acquires a hydrogen bomb tomorrow, what is your plan of action? Placating them with bhajans?
Innocent Hindu boys are being killed, and you wait for orders to destroy the fanatic traitors in Bhendi Bazaar (a Muslim area in south Mumbai)? Have the police also become playthings in the hands of politicians? We predict that these traitors will kill you also. Since the police had not done anything, our young boys retaliated for the murders of Hindus on January 6. And what do we get? You kill those brave boys.- From “Burning Pyres”, editorial, Saamna, January 11, 1993
It’s only during elections that you remember Ambedkar. It’s only during elections that you remember Shahu Maharaj. It’s only during elections that you remember Phule. Otherwise you just don’t care nor you make their statues. Don’t try to teach me about Dalit empowerment. I saw my father suffering all his life for it. Our house in Pune was stoned. And at that tender age, I have seen a mock funeral procession staged to threaten my father.
Rather than being a job seeker, have the courage to try to become a job giver.
I only know two religions-rich and poor. Don’t make the rich poor. Make the poor rich.
Even when you grow old physically, don’t let your thoughts grow old.
I have received a report that Congress is plying their student leaders with all kinds of pleasures. I want to state here that I will not tolerate any of this in Shiv Sena. If a woman boards a rickshaw at 4 AM that is being plied by a Bharatiya Kaamgar Sena (Shiv Sena’s workers union) member, she should do this with trust that she is safe because this rickshaw is plied by a Shiv Sainik. To my student leaders I say rough it out, if need be, spend a night on benches in railway stations. You will understand what life is.
If you stop Amarnath piligrimage, I swear that I will not let a single Haj piligrim go through Mumbai. If you think you can thrash Hindus because you think they are weak, we will have to invoke Shiva in us.
Babri had to be destroyed. And if Shiv Sainiks have demolished it, I’m proud of them. Who is Babar? Any kid on the street will tell you that Lord Raam belonged to Ayodhya. Then what is the need of Babar there? Muslims destroyed our places of worship in their invasions. We no longer live in some Mughal rule. We must reclaim our lost temples.
Before appeasing the ‘minorities’, learn to love the Hindu. He needs you.