We won't pay for damages to property: Sena

Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil's diktat that parties like Shiv Sena and MNS would have to pay for damages to property in course of their recent violent agitations, has fallen flat on Sena leader's ears.

"We will not pay a single paisa," party Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said here today.

"Forget about paying Rs 20 lakh, we will not pay even 20 paise," Raut, who is executive editor of Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', said.

Sena and MNS had organised violent stirs over issues ranging for retrenchment of employees at a luxury hotel here to 'neglect' of Marathi language by Mumbai University.

"No matter what the party, it will have to compensate for the damage to property during their stir," Patil had said. "I have asked commissioner of police and state police chief to ensure that action on these lines is initiated immediately, without bothering which parties are involved," he had said.

"The government will not tolerate parties holding people to ransom as a result of their violent agitations," the Home Minister had said.