Bal Thackeray remarks spark off debate over 'Saamana' editorials

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's distancing himself from an editorial in mouthpiece Saamana that blamed the 'Marathi  manoos' for the party's debacle in the assembly elections has brought to fore an important issue: who really writes these editorials?

"It was not 'outsiders' but Maharashtrians themselves who stabbed us in the back," the October 24 editorial had said.

It is no secret in media circles that the editorial comment that goes in the name of 83-year old Thackeray, who is keeping frail health, is penned by Sanjay Raut, executive editor of the newspaper.

"I cannot say such a thing. Have we written anything like that," Thackeray said, addressing a meeting of party legislators at the Sena Bhavan here last night.

He then turned to Raut, and asked him, "Sanjay, did you write that Marathi manoos stabbed us in the back?"  Raut said what was written was that "Marathi voters turned their back on Sena".

This is not the first time that the issue of who writes these editorials - Thackeray is the newspaper's editor - has been raised.