Stop 'Mann ki baat', start 'Gun ki baat', Uddhav Thackeray tells Narendra Modi

Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop his "Mann ki Baat" and instead start "Gun ki Baat" to teach Pakistan a lesson.

In a sharp reaction to the recent killing and the mutilation of two Indian soldiers on the Line of Control, Thackeray said Kashmir is "burning" and the government must take action.

"Its time to stop 'Mann ki Baat' and start 'Gun ki Baat' against Pakistan," he demanded in a reference referring to the PM's monthly radio broadcast.

Earlier, Maharashtra minister Ramdas Kadam, of the Sena, took potshots at Modi, saying he should concentrate more on national security than elections.

"What's stopping the centre from taking direct action against Pakistan? How many more soldiers should be lose and how many more widows we should see before India does something?" he said, demanding direct action against the neighbouring the country for its aggressive acts.

Shiv Sena - a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance - also urged the central government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss, what, it said, was the "worsening situation" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Narendra Modi

"What is happening is serious. It is very sad," said Sena Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut.

"We are such a big country and yet these things are happening. It does not portend well for us. As a nation, we have to take some decisions. There should be an all-party meeting to discuss the happenings in Jammu and Kashmir and on the Line of Control," Raut told media here.

The demand by the Sena, also a part of the BJP-led coalition ruling Maharashtra, comes after a spurt in violence in the state and killing annd mutilation of the bodies of two Indian soldiers by a Border Action Team of Pakistan on Monday.

On several occasions earlier, the Sena and Thackeray have demanded tough action by India against Pakistan for its continued aggression from across the border.