Expressing his stringent opposition to the conditional access system, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Wednesday said he is still not in favour of CAS in the metropolis and wondered "why the government was marketing the new system."
"I have already told the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shanker Prasad that implement CAS first in New Delhi if it is successful there, then introduce it in Mumbai," Thackeray told reporters in Mumbai, when asked about the new regime.
"Let people decide whether they want CAS or not why the government is marketing it," the Sena chief questioned.
Thackeray, who had bitterly opposed CAS earlier stating that the Union government will have to pay a heavy price for its introduction, said on Wednesday, "The interests of consumers and cable operators should be safeguarded at any cost."
However, he warned the cable operators that their "monopoly" will also be not tolerated.
Asked about the Union government's resolve to implement CAS in south Mumbai from September 1, Thackeray said: "Then why not northern Mumbai."
When pressed as what would Sena do if CAS were introduced in southern Mumbai from September, he said: "Let us see."
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