Raj refuses to open his cards

A day after disgruntled Shiv Sena leader Raj Thackeray returned to Mumbai after a brief visit to Pune, he continued to keep supporters and opponents today guessing about his future moves.

Raj, who returned from Pune last night, remained closetted at his `Krishna Kunj' residence in central Mumbai's Dadar during most of the day today though a few Sena legislators and corporators met him.

A large number of activists of the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, the Sena students' outfit, gathered outside Raj's house hoping their leader would address them as he had done on November 27, when he announced his resignation from party posts questioning his cousin and Sena Executive President Uddhav's leadership.

But the activists were disappointed as neither Raj emerged out of his house nor did he signal any new development through his trusted lieutenants.

Meanwhile, media personnel posted outside the Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's residence `Matoshree' swung into action following a rumour that the Sena chief was likely to visit Raj to placate him.

However, Sena sources said the chief had no such plan and he was taking rest at his residence. Bal Thackeray had invited nephew Raj for talks at Matoshree but the latter had not responded to that.

Meanwhile, Sena MLAs, led by Ramdas Kadam, who made an abortive attempt to meet Raj thrice to placate him, left for Nagpur to attend the winter session of the House.

Maharashtra legislature beginning tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has ridiculed the ongoing squabble between the Thackeray cousins, saying the two Sena leaders Raj and Uddhav should not drag 'god' into their family problems.

"Vitthal is reverred by thousands who visit his temple to pay obeisance....Why drag him (Vitthal) into your family problems?" Pawar said, commenting on the statement of sulking Sena leader Raj Thackeray that "his problem was not with God Vitthal, but with the priests who surround him (god) and treat the temple as their own."

Addressing a public meet at Dombivali yesterday, thanking voters for the recently concluded Kalyan-Dombivali civic body polls, Pawar not only took a dig at the ongoing family squabble, but also gave an earful to the Thackeray cousins.

On Raj's referring to the people surrounding the Sena chief as 'priests', Pawar said that in such temples, priests were not concerned about the faith of devotees, but were more worried about the offerings they made.

Pawar criticised the Thackeray cousins, saying unlike family fortunes, political parties did not survive on inheritance.

"To run a party, you need to work 17-18 hours a day among the common people...One needs to cultivate the habit of getting up early and be in a position to stay among the people still at the end of the day," Pawar commented on the aristocratic lifestyle of the second generation politicians.

A person who has worked among the common people can only do this, Pawar said, adding that this was not possible for a person used to only to giving orders, hinting at the embattled Sena leaders.

"Nowadays, even their orders are not being followed. When a person like Narayan Rane whom he adorned as chief minister did not listen to him, how do you expect the common worker (who is not benefitted) to listen to the diktats?" Pawar said in an obvious reference to the Sena executive president

The NCP chief said the Shiv Sena was once upon a time dedicated to awakening the young generation, a job which the NCP was now doing in the state.

He urged Sena workers and the Bharatiya Janata Party to join the NCP to help fulfill their aspirations for the state.