Raj Thackeray slams Eknath Shinde for claiming Shiv Sena party symbol, name, Bal Thackeray legacy; Raj said that those were the people who lack real understanding of his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray and uncle Bal Thackeray
MNS chief Raj Thackeray along with cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray (left) pays tribute to Bal Thackeray at his memorial in Shivaji Park on Monday. PIC/ASHISH RAJE
Relations between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde no longer appear to be as cordial as they once were. On Monday, while offering tribute to his late uncle Bal Thackeray along with cousin Uddhav Thackeray, Raj launched a veiled attack on the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and its leaders.
In a reference to Shinde camp leaders’ attempts to claim Bal Thackeray’s legacy, he said in a post on X, “It is laughable that some people try to act like the true heirs of Hindutva by using Balasaheb’s image or asking for votes in the late Shiv Sena chief’s name.”
Bal Thackeray passed away on November 17, 2012, and his memorial was constructed at Shivaji Park, Dadar. Post his demise, the leadership of the party transitioned to his son Uddhav. Later, in 2019, to keep Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power, Uddhav, along with Congress and NCP, formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and became the chief minister of Maharashtra.
In 2022, Shinde engineered a split in the Shiv Sena only to take the chief minister’s post, and in the 2024 Assembly polls, Mahayuti (BJP, Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-NCP) bagged 232 of the total 288 seats, while the Shinde faction won 57 seats.
Post victory, Shinde claimed that people have endorsed his party as the real Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena (UBT) camp has been critical of all such claims. Uddhav, on several occasions, had stated that the other Sena faction had robbed the party symbol and his father.
Endorsing his cousin’s views, Raj joined the bandwagon of leaders slamming Shinde for claiming the Shiv Sena party symbol, name, and, more importantly, the legacy of Bal Thackeray. Early this year, both the cousins Uddhav and Raj announced that they were putting aside their differences of 20 years for the unity and pride of Marathi and Maharashtra.
Raj, in a veiled dig at Shinde Sena, said that those were the people who lack real understanding of his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray and uncle Bal Thackeray. “Those people have no idea of the depth and refinement of Balasaheb’s ideological thinking,” the MNS chief added.
He even praised his late uncle (Bal Thackeray) for creating a massive movement on linguistic identity and later turning it into a political party and slammed rival political parties for seeing Hindus as vote banks. “For Balasaheb, Hindus meant identity and love for religion and not vote bank,” Raj added.
The MNS chief even claimed, “Those who seek votes and parade around as the heirs of Hindutva using Balasaheb’s image seem laughable.”
Concluding his message, Raj maintained that for him, politics is not about getting votes and power and then looting in whatever way possible once in power. “The MNS offers humble tributes to Balasaheb, who instilled in us the principle that social work comes first and political work only after that,” Raj said.
On Monday, during a function at Mira Road, Shinde took a sharp dig at Uddhav and Raj. Without naming the Thackeray cousins, Shinde said, “The real Shiv Sena brand is Balasaheb. Those calling themselves brands [read as Raj and Uddhav] will soon be shown their place.”
CM offers tribute
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday also paid tribute to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his death anniversary. While speaking to the media, he stated that for him, too, Bal Thackeray was an ideal. “Balasaheb’s Hindutva was an inspiration for us too,” Fadnavis said.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
