Raj and Uddhav avoid coming face-to-face, sharing dais at yesterday's rally despite championing the same cause
Raj and Uddhav avoid coming face-to-face, sharing dais at yesterday's rally despite championing the same cause
They treaded the same path, marched for the same cause and supported the same people, but the estranged Thackeray cousins ensured that they weren't seen with each other at yesterday's mill workers' morcha.
While Uddhav joined the protest march at Rani Baug itself and made it a point to be at the meeting at Azad Maidan, Raj entered the fray very late and returned from JJ Flyover itself, pouring cold water over people's hopes of seeing them share the same dais.
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| By the time Raj Thackeray joined the protest march it was too late and he returned from JJ Flyover. On the other hand, Uddhav Thackeray joined the march at Rani Baug and attended the meeting at Azad Maidan. |
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Political experts pointed out that Raj may have made a blunder by not completing the march, considering its vast potential to garner Marathi votes, but the younger Thackeray said people shouldn't read between the lines and that he had participated in the march to show solidarity with the mill workers and not to make a political statement.
Uddhav, meanwhile, assured the workers that the Shiv Sena would back them till their demands were fulfilled. "The party will always be there with the mill workers and will help them in their struggle in every way. We will help you in getting houses," he said in his speech.
Bandh callUddhav also called for a citywide bandh on August 1 if the government did not take any "constructive decisions" on the issue till then. And, while parties like the BJP and RPI didn't seem to averse to the idea, the MNS categorically said that it wouldn't participate in any bandh.
Mill workers, too, were undecided on their participation. "We are going to have a meeting on Friday to decide about this. Uddhav called for the bandh on the spot and without consulting anyone and, thus, we haven't been able to take a call yet," said union leader Datta Ishwalkar.
When Ishwalkar was asked about Raj's participation, he said, "We can't analyse the support by different political parties but yes, some were there with us throughout, others for sometime and a few had already informed us that they would stay away from Azad Maidan to avoid sharing the stage with other parties."
However, after the BJP, RPI, Sena and other leaders left the stage, MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Eknath Khadse reached Azad Maidan and addressed the rally.
Nandgaonkar said, "We couldn't attend the march because we were busy bringing up the same issue in the Assembly. We have asked the government to tackle the issue as soon as possible."
