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Estranged cousins Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray came together, spoke to each other and posed for photographs on Monday. The occasion was the second death anniversary of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray at Shivaji Park.
Shiv Sena, which failed to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government owing to lack of agreement over the number of ministries, used the opportunity to show its strength. Notably, Raj — who formed his outfit in March 2006 upon deserting the Sena after Bal Thackeray chose son Uddhav as his political heir — had not attended last year's tribute to his uncle.
A large number of Thackeray followers who gathered at Shivaji Park shouted slogans demanding unity between the two cousins in state politics. In fact, MNS leader Bal Nandgaonkar, who lost to the Shiv Sena nominee in the just-concluded Assembly election, said a large number of supporters of Shiv Sena and MNS want Uddhav and Raj to join hands in the larger interest of the state.
Ahead of the Assembly poll, Raj had proposed a tie-up between MNS and Shiv Sena. Later, Raj said there was no response from Uddhav. While Shiv Sena had improved its tally in the just-concluded Assembly polls to 63 from 44 in 2009, MNS managed to win just one seat against 13 last time.
The Lok Sabha poll held earlier this year and the recent state Assembly poll have marginalised Raj rather than making him a potential threat to the Sena in its hold over the Marathi Manoos.
During the poll campaign, Uddhav had called up Raj to wish him speedy recovery as the latter was suffering from fever and cold.
A fortnight ago, Uddhav visited Raj's daughter who was admitted in the city hospital after a minor accident. When Uddhav was hospitalised following a heart attack in 2012, Raj visited him there and drove him home.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with senior ministers and BJP leaders, visited Shivaji Park on Monday to pay tribute to Thackeray. This was the first interface between Fadnavis and Uddhav after the BJP government won the trust vote and Shiv Sena assumed the post of leader of opposition in the state Assembly.
In a bid to reach out to Uddhav and thereby indicate that a patch-up between the two is still possible, Fadnavis said the government would set up a committee headed by the chief minister to develop a grand memorial for Bal Thackeray in the city. He added the government would consult people from various walks of life, including Uddhav, to make Thackeray's memorial a reality.
