Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday asked politicians to stop glorifying the resilient spirit of Mumbai in the aftermath of the November 26 terror attacks and show 'the iron will' to engage the Indian armed forces in a decisive battle to crush the hostile neighbour.
'Let us not forget the fact that ten Pakistan-trained terrorists who attacked the commercial capital of India taking the sea route killed over 200 innocent civilians and 16uniformed men in the country,' Thackeray said an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna.
'Despite the universal knowledge of its springboard support to anti-India elements, Pakistan is not only denying the nationality of captured terrorist Kasab but also talking about giving a fitting reply to an Indian response to the situation,' he said.
In a sarcastic reference to the much-hyped spirit of Mumbai, Thackeray said even after the 1993 serial bomb blasts, the city was back to its chores the next day and the stock market too transacted business.
'Now Taj and Oberoi have reopened again underlining the spirit of Mumbai, which is worthy of praise. But if political leaders feel that the metropolis has put behind the November 26 attack as it starts anew, they are mistaken,' the Sena chief said.
'People are scarred but have to pull on with the compulsion of earning their daily bread. And when they leave their homes every day to sweat and earn, they also carry with them angst. While hailing the peoples indomitable spirit, the rulers and politicians should not forget this bitter fact,' he said.
Thackeray said it was a pity that the proxy war unleashed by Pakistan against India has claimed the lives of an estimated 25,000 people across the nation in recent years. The Indian politicians have presented a spectacle of 'wearing bangles' in their hands while Pakistan is training guns on innocent civilians. But the people of Mumbai and India if not the rulers, are keen on retribution, he added.