Shiv Sena to take on government on book ban lifting

After the party workers undertook demonstrations outside the Sena headquarters to protest the lift of the ban on James Laine's book on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said that the party would not allow the sale of the book in Maharashtra.

The Supreme Court Friday upheld the decision of the Bombay High Court to lift the ban on Laine's book. The state government alleged that the book contained material "promoting social enmity".

"We cannot bear an insult of a personality which is so revered," Thackeray said.
The book - "Shivaji: Hindu King in Muslim India" - allegedly has derogatory comments on Shivaji.

The book is authored by Laine, a professor of religious studies, and published in New York and New Delhi in 2003.
Thackeray also criticised the central government's affidavit in the Supreme Court that said that Maharashtra cannot stake a claim over Marathi-speaking areas in bordering  Karnataka.

Thackeray said the decision was "unfair" to the people of Maharashtra and that the state government has failed to tackle the issue.
Thackeray also showed his dislike for the way the debacle of the `best five' formula for calculating scores of the state board's Class 10 students for junior college admissions, is being treated.

"The state government has failed to handle the issue, which has now put a question mark over the admission process for junior colleges," he said.
Thackrey also criticised the hike in fuel prices and the central government's inability to control the rising prices.