Raj Thackeray said that it was Balasaheb Thackeray who first thought of uniting Hindus, while Uddhav Thackeray slammed “defectors”, saying they have undermined Maharashtra.
In a rare display of unity, cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray shared the stage in Mumbai on Friday to mark the birth centenary year of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, using the occasion to honour his legacy and launch a sharp attack on their political rivals.
The joint appearance at Shanmukhanand Hall in Mumbai’s Sion came just days after both leaders suffered a setback in the recently concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, where the BJP-led Mahayuti wrested control of the civic body, ending the Thackerays’ decades-long dominance in Mumbai.
Opening the evening, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray struck a light tone, joking about post-election fatigue and the state’s volatile politics.
Referring to his family doctor, he quipped, “Uddhav recovered in two days, but I am still unwell. I think even my doctor has changed parties”.
The remark drew laughter from the audience and set the stage for a more reflective address.
Raj recalled an exchange from the early 1980s between Balasaheb Thackeray and late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, when the Sena founder spoke of uniting Hindus under a single ideological banner.
“Balasaheb had said Hindutva could bring Hindus together as one voting force. He proved it was possible,” Raj said, before adding that the idea had since been reduced to “mere vote-bank politics”, calling the present state of affairs one that Balasaheb would have found “indecent and disgusting”.
Taking a more combative tone, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and Balasaheb Thackeray’s son, Uddhav Thackeray, accused political defectors and commercial interests of trying to destroy the Thackeray legacy and undermine Maharashtra.
“You can buy votes, but you cannot buy spirit,” he told supporters. “I would rather fight with a handful of loyalists than take 50 crores and compromise my principles”.
Uddhav said his party was not just an organisation but an idea.
“The BJP is wrong if it thinks it can finish us. Shiv Sena is not a party, it is an idea,” he said, referring to the BJP’s emergence as the single-largest party in the BMC with 89 seats.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, while Raj Thackeray’s MNS secured six, in what both leaders described as a better-than-expected fight.
Lashing out at “traitors” and “vyaparis”, Uddhav said, “It is not outsiders but defectors who are being used to finish us. Power comes and goes, but once a name is erased, it never returns”.
He alleged money power and voter list discrepancies had influenced the civic polls.
