Raj Thackeray to float new party on Mar 19

That umbilical cords are difficult to cut is what Raj Thackarey, the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, proved today while launching his new party.

Thackeray's long- awaited announcement, gave pride of place to two ubiquitous Shiv Sena symbols - the Sena name and its colour. His new party is called Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) while the colour saffron figures prominently in the new party's tricolour, unfurled today.

The traditional Sena bastion, Shivaji Park, too, will figure prominently in the new party's iconography. Thackeray said the new party's ideology would be announced at a public rally slated for March 19 at Shivaji Park. The names of the party office bearers would also announced at the rally, he said.

Thackeray also tried pulling at the heart strings of Marathi manus (Maharashtrian sons of the soil) by announcing that he would offer jobs to close relatives of the erstwhile workers of the Kohinoor Mill. Thackeray, along with Sena leader Manohar Joshi's son Unmesh, bought the defunct mill and is developing it into a state-of-the-art commercial property. He also appealed to other entrepreneurs, who have bought mill lands in the city, to follow his example.

Following his uncle's practice of not using his own photograph at party functions, Raj too ensured that only photographs of his grandfather and social reformer Prabodhankar Thackeray and a bust of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj were on the dais.

Speaking about his relationship with his estranged uncle, Raj clarified that he would neither attack the Sena chief nor respond to any criticism made by him. He, however, refused to comment on whether the same rule would apply to his cousin and working president of Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray. He said, "Only those who have left their homes will be able to understand my feelings."

He also saidhis party will field candidates for the Mumbai municipal corporation elections due in early 2007. Raj said, "Whether MNS will contest all the seats or enter into an alliance with another party are not the issues before me at this juncture. At this moment I want to concentrate on building the party."

Replying to a question whether he would try to woo leaders like Narayan Rane and Chaggan Bhujbal, who left the Sena fold earlier, Raj said he would not make any special efforts to attract anyone to his party but if they came, they would be treated with the "honour and respect they deserve".

Before coming to the press conference, Raj performed a small pooja at home where friends and relatives were present and also visited the neighbouring Siddhivinayak temple.

Speaking about the choice of date Raj said, "Although I don't believe in astrology, I also don't denounce it completely, and many of my close friends advised me that March 19 is an auspicious day for me and I decided to follow their advice."