A day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray attended the death anniversary of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, his estranged cousin Uddhav said the event was not political and no conclusions should be drawn from it.
On Monday, Raj Thackeray had visited Shivaji Park where the anniversary was commemmorated and sat and talked with Uddhav Thackeray. Significantly in 2013, he had skipped the event completely. His presence now has generated speculation on whether the warring Thackeray cousins will reunite.
The Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Tuesday carried a headline ‘Ab Aayenge Achche Din’ (Good days will come now) along with a photograph of the cousins sitting together. Sena MP Sanjay Raut refused to elaborate on it. “Everyone is free to draw their own conclusions,” he said.
MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar has already said that the reunion of Thackeray brothers will change the politics of the state. “They should come together. This is what every Marathi speaking person wishes,” he said.
“There were number of political leaders at the memorial on Monday. Raj too had come. There is no need to draw political conclusions from it,” said Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday.
Following the results of Maharashtra state assembly, where the MNS suffered a severe drubbing and could manage to win only one seat, the political circles are abuzz with a talk of possible alliance between Thackeray brothers. The Sena too, despite winning 63 seats, finds itself on the opposition benches and not in the state government.
A section within both the parties is strongly of the view of joining hands to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at bay.
The Sena along with the BJP rules the cash rich Mumbai municipality. However, following the split between both the parties, the Sena has not ruled out the possibility of the BJP’s attempt to destabilise its power in the corporation. The MNS could be of help in such situation to the Sena.
