DON'T kill Hindus with poison of secularism: Thackeray

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Monday said in Ahmedabad that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi could become a good prime minister and the MNS would be happy to support him.

"I have come to convey my good wishes to Modiji. I had called him after the Supreme Court's order (in the Gulbarg Society riot case). After the certificate from the Supreme Court, Modi does not need anybody else's certificate," Thackeray told media persons after meeting Modi, who is on a three-day fast for peace and harmony .

"Modi could become a good prime minister and my party will support him. In fact, anybody who wants to work hard for the people of the country can become a good PM," he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is in alliance with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. MNS is considered to be the Sena's rival in state politics, as both target the Marathi votebank.

Raj said there was a need for sadbhavna (goodwill), but the feeling had to be mutual. "Otherwise it is useless," he said.

On Modi's fast, Raj said that it was different from other fasts, as there were no demands attached to it.

"One needs to understand the objective behind it first," Raj added.

He also said that the country was riddled with scams and was in desperate need of a good captain .

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has fired a salvo at Modi for trying to project a secular image of himself.

The patriarch of the Shiv Sena, BJP's oldest ally, also asked Modi not to forget that after Maharashtra, Gujarat was the laboratory of Hinduism and the CM had reached his present position because of the Hindu vote-bank.

"Hindu ramsevaks were killed in Godhra (train burning incident) and that's why Hindus were inflamed. Do not kill them by giving them a dose of the poison of secularism," Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna.

"Modi's battle may be for the gaddi (throne) of Delhi. But it is impossible without the sadbhavana (goodwill) of Hindus. It was the saffron flag which helped propel Modi to a leadership position. It was due to the Hindu votebank that Modi reached the place where he is today," he said.

"It cannot be forgotten that after Maharashtra, Gujarat is the laboratory of Hinduism," he added.

Modi, often dubbed as Hindutva's poster boy, has sought to present a secular image of himself during his three-day fast with religious leaders from different communities, including Muslim clerics, thronging the venue.