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Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his 97th birth anniversary on Monday, saying he devoted his life to public welfare. Modi said he would always cherish his interactions with the Maratha leader, one of the early pioneers of hardline Hindutva politics, who enjoyed a large following. "Remembering Balasaheb Thackeray Ji on his birth anniversary. I will always cherish my various interactions with him. He was blessed with rich knowledge and wit. He devoted his life to public welfare," the prime minister tweeted. The Shiv Sena recently split into two factions with the one commanding the support of a majority of its lawmakers siding with the BJP, while another headed by Thackeray's son Uddhav Thackeray aligning with the Opposition in the state.
Nihar Thackeray, the grandson of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, has said that he supports the Eknath Shinde faction of the party and is ready to campaign for the upcoming Andheri East Assembly byelection as well as the Mumbai civic body polls. He also did not rule out joining electoral politics. The BJP, supported by the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, has fielded Murji Patel against the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party's Rutuja Latke in the November 3 byelection. It will be the first major electoral contest in the state after Shinde's rebellion brought down the previous Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray in June this year. Nihar, the son of Bindumadhav Thackeray, Bal Thackeray's eldest son, is a lawyer by profession. He is also part of Chief Minister Shinde's legal team in the battle in the Supreme Court over which is the 'real' Shiv Sena. Shinde was taking forward the legacy of his late grandfather and hence he supported the chief minister, Nihar told
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday asserted his rebellion was not an act of "betrayal", but a "revolt" and asked Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to kneel down at party founder Bal Thackeray's memorial here and apologise for going against his ideals and aligning with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Addressing a mega rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex's MMRDA ground on the occasion of Dussehra, Shinde said voters in the state elected the Shiv Sena and the BJP in the 2019 Assembly elections, but Thackeray "betrayed" people by joining hands with the Congress and the NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. He said massive crowds at his Dussehra rally was proof enough to show who are true inheritors of Bal Thackeray's legacy. Slamming Thackeray, Shinde, who heads the rebel faction of the party, said the Shiv Sena was not a private limited company and maintained the 56-year-old outfit was built through hard work of common Sena ...
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday targeted Uddhav Thackeray for "betraying" the Hindutva ideology, even as he declared himself as the true torchbearer of the ideals of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. Addressing a Shiv Sena function here, Shinde alleged that it was Uddhav Thackeray who betrayed the Hindutva ideology propounded by Balasaheb Thackeray by joining hands with arch-rivals Congress and NCP. We are being called 'gaddar' (betrayers). But it is we who took Balasaheb's ideals forward, while they shortchanged the ideals of Hindutva. Who is 'gaddar' and who is 'khuddar' (one having self-esteem), the people will decide, Shinde said. Shinde, who led a rebellion in the Shiv Sena ranks in June and became chief minister with the support of the BJP, was responding to the allegations made by predecessor Uddhav Thackeray at a rally in Goregaon in suburban Mumbai. Thackeray, who had dumped the BJP to become chief minister of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi governm
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday visited Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's memorial in Mumbai and paid floral tributes to him on the occasion of 'Guru Purnima'. Talking to reporters here, Shinde said a common man like him could assume the top post in the state because of the blessings of Bal Thackeray. "My government is committed to all round development of the state," he said. The CM also said he was in touch in the administration and monitoring the situation arising due to heavy rains at various places in the state. He later proceeded to neighbouring Thane city to offer tributes to late Sena leader and his mentor Anand Dighe. Shinde and 39 other Shiv Sena MLAs revolted against the party leadership last month, leading to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state. On June 30, Shinde was sworn in as the CM and BJP's Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy chief minister. The Shinde-led Sena faction has claimed to be