Sachin plays for money: Sena chief

In a stinging attack on Sachin Tendulkar, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has questioned his sense of philanthropy, accusing him of playing not as much for the country as for money.

In a stinging attack on Sachin Tendulkar, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has questioned his sense of philanthropy, accusing him of playing not as much for the country as for money.

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In an interview to Times Now, Thackeray also said he had no problems if his son Uddhav and estranged nephew Raj Thackeray, whose political rivalry has cost the mother party dear, decided to mend fences to work together. But he doubted the possibility of it happening: “If they agree, if they patch up, why should I object to that? But will they, that’s the question.”

He refused also to give any commitment about the longevity or sustainability of the Sena’s ties with the BJP. “In politics, nobody is close to anybody,” he remarked, adding that he wasn’t ideologically close to BJP’s new generation the way he was to AB Vajpayee and LK Advani.

He took strong exception to Sachin’s statement that Mumbai belonged to the country. “I will not tolerate, whoever he may be, I will not tolerate that nonsense,” he said, noting the cricketer wasn’t even born when he fought for Mumbai on the sons of the soil plank.

When told that Sachin can’t be accused of playing only for money, he retorted: “Don’t give so much of guarantee. If you need money for something, he will give you a bat. Then it gets auctioned and the money is deposited.”