Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray yesterday (Oct 22, 2004) warned opponents and the media not to write him off in the wake of his party's defeat in the recently-held Assembly polls, saying, "I am a tiger who is hurt but not dead".

"I am like a tiger, who is wounded but will definitely retaliate one day. I may have been confined in a cage but don't dare to tease me", he said addressing the traditional Dussehra rally at Shivaji park in Central Mumbai.

Asserting the Sena will stage a comeback, Thackeray admitted the responsibility for the party's defeat in the assembly polls lay with his own men the "Marathi manus" (the Maharashtraian population). On the non-Maharashtrian issue, he said, those who have migrated to the metropolis before 1995 were welcome, but it was essential that the non-Maharashtrians integrate themselves with the culture and ethos of Maharashtra.

Thackeray blamed the non-Maharashtrians for maintaining a separate identity thus attracting the stamp of being outsiders. Stating the Sena was not against the non-Maharashtrian population, he clarified that if somebody takes this as an attempt to woo them, they are wrong. Thackeray said some of the first persons nominated by Sena to the Rajya Sabha were non-Maharashtrians, which included Chandrika Kenia, Ram Jethmalani, Pritish Nandy, Sanjay Nirupam and Mukesh Patel.

Pointing out that a number of non-Maharashtrians have also bagged berths in the State ministry, Thackeray said this was possible only in Maharashtra, which was a melting point for various cultures and communities. He, however, warned that the Sena will not tolerate if non-Maharashtrians resort to hate campaign against the Maharashtrians while staying in Mumbai. "This is our State and we will not allow you to conquer just because you are bigger than us in terms of numbers," the Sena chief said.

Reiterating his tough stand against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in the metropolis, Thackeray said the Sena was planning to launch an agitation to flush illegal Bangladeshis out of Mumbai.

He said the agitation should not be construed as directed against the Bengali population in the city, saying, "Bengalis are our brothers." Thackeray flayed Congress president Sonia Gandhi for launching her road show for the Maharashtra Assembly polls from Bhiwandi in neighbouring Thane district, which was won by Sena nominee Yogesh Patil.