Latest development

The state government has decided to issue an arrest warrant against Laine, and initiated the process on Monday. The decision came within 48 hours of Prime Minister AB Vajpayee’s announcement in a meeting at Beed that the Centre would take action against Laine.

Can action be taken against Laine, who is not an Indian citizen?

Technically, Laine can be tried for hurting the sentiments of Indians on the issue of national heroes, if the state proves in court that Laine’s writings are indeed defamatory. The state government can seek help from the CBI and issue an international warrant through Interpol.

Since India has an extradition treaty with the US, Laine, if proved guilty, can be handed over to Indian authorities.

Who gains

Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stands to gain the most from this move.

It seems to have hijacked Shivaji from the Shiv Sena, by trying to systematically project itself as the true torchbearer of Maratha pride.

Chhatrapati Shivaji is revered as a demi-god in Maharashtra, and the NCP is clearly targeting the Sena-BJP votebank by not-so-subtly positioning itself as the sole keeper of his legacy.

Who loses

James W Laine. The Congress-NCP government will go the extra mile to prove him guilty, and will face no opposition from the Sena-BJP, as any attempt to defend Laine will be viewed (by voters) as villainy.

The BJP too is scared that the NCP is running away with an issue that should have been raised by them. The PM’s comments at the Mumbai airport in January, protesting the ban on Laine’s book, put the BJP’s state unit in a tight spot.

Rattled by the NCP’s consistent attack, BJP leaders in Maharashtra requested Vajpayee to make amends.

Last words

“It was the Brahminical Manu in Vajpayee who spoke in Mumbai, and the candidate in Vajpayee who spoke in Beed. The BJP wants to garner votes on this issue, while we have been talking about this much before the elections and haven’t changed our stand.”
– Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil

“Patil and his party are trying to portray as if Vajpayeeji wrote that book. He merely said a ban on the book was not the solution. ”
– State BJP President Gopinath Munde

Laine says

“I have no interest in intervening in Indian politics and this is clearly a political issue. But, of course, I continue to be concerned about the fact that my book is portrayed as incendiary and disrespectful.

My book is not the cause of unrest in Maharashtra, but rather rumours about it.

The most problematic rumour is that I claim that Shahji (sic) is not Shivaji’s father. Nowhere do I make such a claim. I do note that Shahji (sic) and Jijabai lived apart for thirty years while he was the Adil Shahi governor of Bangalore.”