Raj and Uddhav Thackeray contemplate about working together as a row erupts over Maharashtra’s third language
Two decades since Raj Thackeray quit Shiv Sena, speculations are rife whether the MNS Chief will ally with his cousin Uddhav Thackeray.
Raj Thackeray, the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), in a podcast with filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar that he was willing to set aside minor disputes to protect the interests of Maharashtra and safeguard the Marathi language.
The MNS chief who joined hands with the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls said he had no problem with working with Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena UBT, if his cousin was willing to work with him.
“When major issues arise, the disputes and quarrels between us are small. For Maharashtra and the Marathi people, the conflicts between us are insignificant. Coming together is not a difficult task, but the real question is about the willingness to do so,” said Raj Thackeray.
But he added that it was not due to his individual willingness or personal interests. “It’s important to keep the larger picture in mind,” he said.
Raj, once seen as the political heir of his uncle and the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, left the Shiv Sena in 2005 amid a dispute with Uddhav for control of the party. Uddhav Thackeray then became the head of the party. Raj floated the MNS the next year.
Uddhav Thackeray upon hearing this said that he was ready to cooperate together with him for the interests of the state while putting aside “small quarrels.”
“I am also ready to set aside the small quarrels and come together in the interest of the Marathi community. But there is one condition. First, decide that you won’t invite home and serve food to those who act against Maharashtra’s interests, and only then talk about the welfare of the state,” Uddhav said.
“When I was saying during the Lok Sabha elections that industries were being moved from Maharashtra to Gujarat, if there had been opposition at that time, then the BJP government wouldn’t be at the Centre today,” he said.
“Even in the state, there would have been a government that thinks about the interests of Maharashtra. Back then, you supported them,” Uddhav further said.
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