Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government's handling of the ongoing agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and pointed to the importance of dialogue in a democracy.
At a press conference in Delhi, Thackeray, who arrived in the national capital on Tuesday evening and visited Jantar Mantar to meet CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, said, "What is wrong with talking to the youth? They have been protesting for more than a month. Had the government spoken to them, the issue would have been resolved."
"Whenever anyone stages a protest, it is the government's duty to go and speak to them. If they are under some misconception, it is the government's responsibility to clear it through dialogue. Had the government spoken to them on the very first day, matters would never have reached this point," Thackeray said.
Recalling earlier instances of governments engaging with protesters, Thackeray said former prime minister Indira Gandhi personally met Sonam Wangchuk's father during a hunger strike in Leh, while the UPA government deputed then Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to hold talks with Anna Hazare during his anti-corruption movement.
If the government could keep channels of dialogue open with Pakistan despite accusing it of sponsoring terrorism, it should have no hesitation in engaging with the protesting students, Thackeray said.
He cited RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's remarks in a PTI interview in May that there should always be a window for dialogue between the civil societies of India and Pakistan.
Condemning the police action against the protesters on Monday, Thackeray alleged that women and even young girls were assaulted.
"I saw young girls, barely nine or 10 years old, and several women. The way they were treated, I do not believe Hindu culture sanctions such behaviour towards women. A girl's clothes were torn. Is this Hindu culture? This is Ravana culture," he said.
Call for Opposition unity
Uddhav Thackeray said that just as the government should engage in dialogue with the protesting students, opposition parties should also talk to each other on the issue.
His remarks came in response to the AAP's allegation that the Congress was the BJP's "B-Team" and that it staged a protest in front of the prime minister's residence on Tuesday to suppress the CJP agitation, suggesting differences within the opposition over the ongoing students' protest.
"We must stand behind the youth. I am with the youth, which is why I met Abhijeet (Dipke). Just as the government should talk to the youth, the opposition should also talk to each other," Thackeray said.
Hours after the press conference, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal met Thackeray at Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut's residence.
Thackeray said he had backed the students' agitation from the very beginning and accused the Centre of refusing to engage with them despite the protest continuing for more than a month.
"I have backed this protest since day one. The youth are the future of the country. If you are going to crush them, they will not accept it. When you call them cockroaches, it goes beyond all limits of tolerance. The youth will not remain silent if dictatorship is imposed on the country," Thackeray said.
(With inputs from PTI)
