Uddhav Thackeray extends birthday wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray (right) with PM Narendra Modi. FILE PIC/NIMESH DAVE

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday extended birthday wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose birthday falls on September 17. When asked if he will be greeting the PM, Uddhav said, "Modi is not my enemy. I extend my greetings to the PM." The UBT leader, however, clarified that he is not going to forget the way the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engineered a split in the Shiv Sena (undivided). "The way they [BJP] are trying to finish off Shiv Sena, no one can tolerate such politics," Uddhav added.

Thackeray also slammed the Centre and the state for rising debt on the Maharashtra government. He referred to a recent advertisement by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the newspapers and on television, saying, "Instead of splurging the money, the amount should have been used to begin the financial assistance process for farmers of the state."

Reacting to Thackeray's comment, senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar said, "There is nothing wrong if loans are taken for development work aimed at bringing relief to citizens. Especially when the loan is well within the prescribed limits." The UBT leader also spoke about his visit to cousin Raj Thackeray's residence in Dadar. "The meeting was only to check on Aunt's [Raj's mother] health," he added.

On September 10, the Thackeray cousins met for nearly 2 hours and 45 minutes, which spilt into speculation that this could possibly be the beginning of the talks for a pre-poll alliance in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and other municipal corporation elections.