Thackeray warns Modi against pampering Muslims

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Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will lose Shiv Sena's support if he pampered Muslims, the party's chief Bal Thackeray on Thursday said.

"If he (Modi) errs, we shall not support him. I will not allow my country and Hindutva to be sullied by this," Thackeray said, referring to Modi's demand for relaxation of visa procedure for Pakistanis wanting to pray at the Ajmer dargah in Rajasthan.

Thackeray's comments were published Thursday in the final instalment of a three-part marathon interview to Prem Shukla, the executive editor of Hindi eveninger 'Dopahar ka Saamna'.

The Shiv Sena chief said he had earlier supported Modi when some people in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were opposing him. He said this while discussing the purported rift between senior leader L.K. Advani and Modi on the former's ongoing nationwide 'rath-yatra'.

He had told Advani that if "Modi goes, then Gujarat would go out of BJP's hands".

Though Modi is considered as the 'strongman' of Gujarat, Thackeray pointed out that once 'air fills somebody's head', it was natural that he would stray from his path.