Munde hits out at Arun Gawli

The Thackeray family was the main target at the rally where speaker after speaker urged people to rise in rebellion against the government. If anything rose, it was Thackeray’s temper. It found vent in the editorial columns of the party mouthpiece Saamna. In a scathing editorial Thackeray warned Gawli that his (Thackeray’s ) patience should not be misunderstood as weakness. Munde got a special mention in the piece. He was asked to find out “where this poison is originating from and how it is growing,” hinting at the urgent need to identify Gawli’s financers.

Putting the record straight today Munde said the permission given by Mumbai police for the ABS morcha was a routine one and no special concessions were given. “We took a policy decision that there was no question of giving protection to the mafia elements. In my eyes every gangster is a criminal and anti-social. Criminals are criminals, there is no caste or religion,” he said.

Referring to Gawli’s utterances that he could eliminate absconding don Dawood Ibrahim, Munde said: “We don’t want to take help of any gang to finish off another gang.” He said Gawli exposed himself by staying away from the morcha. Asked whether Gawli had sought police protection to lead the morcha, Munde said he (Gawli) wanted permanent protection which would not be given.