Mumbai:
“I would not wish for a day like today, not even on my worst enemy. The only thing I had asked was respect. The only thing I received was insult and humiliation.” On December 18, 2005, a 36-year-old Raj Thakeray spoke to a press conference in Shivaji Park Gymkhana. With a voice that choked with emotion, he announced his decision to stop Shiv Sena, a party founded by his uncle and fire brigade leader Bal Tackeray. Three months later, Raj Tackeray Maharashtra Navnirman Sena would form.
During another press conference in Matoshree, the Tackeray Residence in Mumbai's Bandra, Raj's cousin and Bal Tackeray's son Uddhav, then 44, spoke with the media. “Raj's decision is the result of a misunderstanding. He rebelled on November 27 and all those days we hoped that the differences would be solved amicably. But he remained unclear, even after he had met Bal Tackeray on December 15,” he said. Uddhav said that Bal Tackeray was sad by the decision of his cousin. The Chief Firebrand Sena did not speak with the media.
In the two decades after that press conference, a lot of water has flowed over the Godavari River. The MNS, who initially saw some success with his Marathi Manoos -Pitch, is now a young political power. The Shiv Sena, who left Raj Tackeray, split in 2022 after a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde, the government of UDDHAV Thakkeray immersed.
Twenty years after those goodbye to ways, the two alienated cousins, Raj and Uddhav, dropped broad hints that they can come together, a development that surprised political circles in Maharashtra and the country.
What did Raj Thakkeray, Uddhav Thakeray
The alienated cousins have sent a message that their differences are insignificant when they are seen against the interests of Maharashtra. “The disputes and fights between Uddhav and I are small. Maharashtra is much greater than all that. These differences turn out to be expensive for the existence of Maharashtra and the Marathi people. Coming together is not difficult. It's a matter of will. It's not just about my desire or selfishness,” said Raj Thackeray in a podcast.
Uddhav Thakeray said he was open to this reunion, but set a condition. “I am ready to put small disputes aside, but there is a condition. We cannot change side where we support them one day, resist them the next day and then compromise again. Everyone who deals with the interests of Maharashtra – I will not welcome them, feed them at home or sit with them first.” he said at an event. The Sena (UBT) chef referred to the changing political loyalty of Raj Tackeray, including his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi prior to the general elections of 2024.
Rajya Sabha MP and Uddhav Tackeray's Close Aide Sanjay Raut said there is no alliance for the time being. “There is no alliance. From now on there are only emotional conversations going on. Raj Tackeray and Uddhav Thakkeray are brothers. We have been together for years. Our relationship has not been broken. Both brothers will decide (about the alliance),” he said.
How rivals, allies responded to patch-up plans
When the media chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked about the Thakkerays's statements, he replied: “If the two come together, we will be happy with it. If people arrange their differences, it is a good thing. What else can I say about it?” Mr. Fadnavis's ally and vice-minister Eknath Shinde, whose mutiny who split Shiv Sena, was irritated when a reporter sought his reaction to the patch-up plans of the Tackerays. “Talk about work,” he said.
NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, an ally of Sena (UBT), welcomed the possibility of a reunion. “Raj Thackeray said that the dispute in Maharashtra was greater than their dispute. That is happy for me. If Bal Tackeray was among us, he would have been very happy today. If the two brothers come together for Maharashtra, we should welcome it,” she said.
Former parliament member Sanjay Nirupam, who switched from the congress to Eknath Shind-guided Shiv Sena last year, took a Jibe. “Two zeros make nothing,” he told DailyExpertNews, adding that both Sena (UBT) and mys are “loss -making units” and a merger will not help them electorally.
A change in heart or political necessity?
Over the years, Raj Thakkeray has said in several interviews that his differences with Uddhav Tackeray are politics and not personal and that he does not accommodate hostility for his cousin. His offer to meet, however, must also be seen against political realities. MNS, which was founded in 2006, won 13 seats in the 2009 Maharashtra election, an impressive election debut. But this joy was short -lived. In the 2014 and 2019 elections, MNS won one chair and last year drew a blank in the state polls. The party is struggling and Raj Thakkeray is fighting for political survival.
Uddhav Thakeray, on the other hand, suffered a huge setback when Eknath Shinde-guided rebellion overturned his government and split the Shiv Sena. To make matters worse, he also lost his party name and symbol. He made a strong comeback and led his new party, named Shiv Sena (UBT), to win nine seats in the Lok Sabha polls last year, which hoped for a good show in the state survey later in 2024. But the election of the meeting was a disappointment. The Sena (UBT) won 20 of the 92 seats that disputed, because the bitter rival of Thakkerays Eknath Shind led his party to 57 seats.
Against this background, the Thakeray Cousins would also consider the advantages and disadvantages to come together politically and electorally if they intend to break down the wall that separates them.
