Hate attacks and incidents of regional chauvinism can be tackled if there is a political will, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday while agreeing to hear on Monday a PIL linked to the alleged violence perpetrated by Raj Thackeray's MNS party in Maharashtra.

More than a court matter it is a political issue which needs political will to tackle it, the court observed when the petitioner pointed to Mumbai violence and its repercussions in Bihar and Delhi.

"Can it be done through an order of this court. It is a political question not a court issue. If there is a political will it can be tackled," a Bench of Justices B N Aggrawal and G S Singhvi observed.

The Bench was initially not inclined to entertain the petition filed by a businessman Salek Chand Jain, and said that it was for the Union Government to invoke Article 355 for giving appropriate direction to the States concerned.

However, later it observed that the ‘issue was serious’ and agreed to hear the matter; but directed the counsel Sugriv Dubey to suitably amend the petition so that it can be taken up for hearing.

Dubey who mentioned the matter before the Bench complained that the attacks on North Indian by the MNS has led to a chain reaction elsewhere in the country and it threatened to destroy the unity and integrity of the country.

According to the petitioner following the MNS attacks, the Jharkhand Chief Minister had announced that he would not permit the rich mineral resources of the state to be transported to any part of the country.

... contd.