Sena leaders adopt different stands on globalisation

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena is speaking in different voices on globalisation. In his first public appearance after becoming executive president of the Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray severely attacked the Vajpayee government’s economic policies on Sunday.
He asked in a sarcastic vein whether the imprint of Mahatma Gandhi on the hundred rupee note would be replaced by someone from Washington.Inaugurating a conference of the Bank Karmachari Sena Mahasangh he said that the new economic policy would lead to anarchy and reverse the progress made by India.
Mr Thackeray said that voluntary retirement schemes are being implemented but no new jobs are being created. The government is itself helpess in the case of closures.
The Sena leader said a former Union finance minister had told him that in his own constituency an industrial unit had closed down leaving 2300 workers without jobs. The former minister said there was nothing he could do about it.
But, wondered Mr Thackeray, why was the government giving permission for closure of factories. He compared the action to throttling a dying person, instead of giving him water.
He added that Dattopant Thengdi, president of the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh had told him that in Japan no one touched foreign oranges. "Can we not do this here ?"Mr Thackeray asked.
He said many people now buy imported apples because they are cheap. He pointed out that soon milk from Denmark will be available at Rs 7 per litre against the price of Rs 18 to Rs 20 per litre for the domestic produce.
But soon after Mr Thackeray left the Suryavanshi hall at Shivaji Park where he had addressed the workers, Union minister of state for finance Anandrao Adsul, who also belongs to the Sena, defended the new economic order and called upon workers to be ready for more sacrifices.
Mr Adsul asked bank employees to change their ways and be ready to face a gradual reduction in their privileges. He claimed that many employees came late to work and thought they could appease their bosses by giving them a couple of ''paans’ to eat.
Responding to Mr Thackeray’s comment on imported milk Mr Adsul said "we should improve the quality of our milk and oppose adulteration. It is not compulsory to buy foreign goods."
He did not refer to Mr Uddhav Thackeray by name but said that while some people may not like what he has to say, as a minister he had to make his point.