BOMBAY, 22 August — Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray gave hints of quitting politics in an interview to the Shiv Sena mouth-piece Saamna yesterday.
Thackeray said he wishes to retire from active politics, but did not mention anything about his successor. "I'm tired of the present day rotten anti people politics and cannot tolerate it any longer" he said.
"I hate this dirty politics, where one cannot do anything for the people. I am not keen to continue in such anti-people politics" he said.
However, later he retracted from his statement and assured party workers that he would "not desert them."
"I am with you," Thackeray said to party workers gathered outside his residence.
The Shiv Sena chief told them that he was "with them", the only difference being that he would now only prefer to play the role of an adviser to the party.
"I am not leaving you," he reiterated.
Commenting on the hints of Thackeray retiring from politics, leaders of various political parties told "Arab News" that they do not take any statements made by the Sena chief seriously, and called it a mere gimmick.
The politicians taking a dig at Thackeray's talk of retirement said that he had talked about quitting politics for the second time in recent two weeks.
Last week, at a function to mark the foundation day of the party weekly "Maarmik" Thackeray had said he was reluctant to continue as Sena chief and lacked the will to perform.
Analysts said that Bal Thackeray will not quit politics, and all talks of his quitting is to discipline disgruntled group of party leaders, who have been lately creating noises over petty issues
