Thackeray's request to the government that the State Government should find a way to free Hazare, now lodged in Pune's Yeravada jail, appeared in the party's mouthpiece, Saamna.

Thackeray said he was making the request with a view to ``keeping the State free'' from political and social pollution. ``This is not an order, but a request to the government,'' Thackeray said uncharacteristically.

He said he was not against the anti-corruption campaign launched by Hazare but he was shocked by the activists surrounding him. ``I feel that instead of removing corruption, they were aiming at dislodging the alliance government,'' Thackeray pointed out.

But Hazare's lawyer, P Janardan was in no mood for conciliation. ``My client does not want mercy, at least not from the alliance government. We have already filed a revisionapplication before the sessions court. We have neither sought any relief nor bail. Our only plea is that the order passed by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate K H Holambe Patil be set aside,'' Janardan, told The Indian Express.

``Thackeray has no moral right to ask the government to remit the sentence. I feel that he should first sack Gholap from the Cabinet and then make such requests to the government,'' he added.

Janardan said the entire file on corruption in the social welfare department was personally given to the Chief Minister, who had then asked the concerned department to probe into the charges. ``According to our information, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has submitted its report, but did not mention any specific name in it. Under such circumstances, it was the responsibility of the Chief Minister to fix the responsibility,'' Janardan said.

Following Thackeray's ``appeal'' to the government, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi decided to follow the laid down procedure to remit Hazare'ssentence but the problem is Hazare's refusal to ask for remission from the government. As per law (Sec. 432, CrPC), to invoke the powers bestowed with it and ``may, at any time, without conditions or upon any conditions, which the person sentenced accepts, suspend the execution of his sentence or remit the whole or any part of the punishment to which he has been sentenced'' the government can act only on an application from the sentenced person, not suo motu.