NEW DELHI, Aug. 21 -- A prominent right-wing Hindu leader has expressed his desire to become the 'Hitler of India.' Bal Thackeray, known for his fanatical views in support of the Hindu religion, is chief of the ultra-rightist Shiv Sena party that jointly rules the southwestern state of Maharashtra.
'I'm not just Hitler of Bombay, I've now become a Hitler of the whole of Maharashtra,' Thackeray said in an interview to India's entertainment channel, El TV. 'Any day I would like to become Hitler of India,' Thackeray said. When the Shiv Sena won assembly elections in Maharashtra state earlier this year, Thackeray said he would assume the extra- constitutional role of a being a 'remote control Chief Minister,' controlling the state government from an unelected position. In March, Thackeray asked police to track down Muslim immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh and 'throw them out of Bombay,' sparking tense relations in the city between Hindus and Muslims. In recent years, Bombay has witnessed some of India's worst Hindu- Muslim carnage, with riots in 1992-93 that claimed more than 2,000 lives. Thackeray is also known for his rigid stand against India's Muslim- majority rival neighbor Pakistan. Among other things, Thackeray has warned Pakistan's cricket team not to play in India, vowing to order the burning of India's stadiums if Pakistan's team is invited to play. Despite Thackeray's earlier reluctance to assume a legitimate government position, the Shiv Sena leader told EL TV he would be glad to take up the prime ministership of India if it was offered to him. 'If I become Prime Minister I will overhaul the administration and clean up the mess,' Thackeray said.
