Mumbai: Asserting that American author James Laine should be "kicked" for making slanderous remarks against Maratha king Shivaji, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray last night (Mar 28, 2004) assured that if National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was voted back to power, then it would "deal with the US author".

"We will deal with Laine...let our Government come to power," Thackeray told a public meeting, that kick started the Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) poll campaign in Maharashtra.

Without naming Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is criticising the Sena-BJP over the controversy, the Sena chief said those raising the issue should be condemned.

Laine's book titled 'Shivaji: A Hindu King in Islamic India' had created a controversy in Maharashtra ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The State Government had banned the book and demanded a countrywide ban on it from the Centre. However, initially Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee disapproved the ban saying views should be countered ideologically.

When his statement came under attack from the NCP, Vajpayee at a rally in Beed on March 20, asserted that Centre would initiate action against Laine and strongly condemned his remarks.

But NCP is keeping the issue alive saying Vajpayee's statement at Beed was made keeping an "eye over votes".