In the concluding part of an interview to his party's mouthpiece, Saamna, Thackeray said Maharashtra would have had an upper hand in the country's politics if Pawar had joined hands with him.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray Tuesday said his uncle and Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had asked him to stop using his photos banners, at "the behest of someone else".
'Sonia took Rajiv to Sicily island for their safety when India was fighting the war with Pakistan in 1971,' the Shiv Sena chief told party mouthpiece Saamna in Mumbai.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who is undergoing treatment for weakness and fever is doing fine but will have to rest in hospital for atleast two more days, doctors attending on him said on Monday.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday turned 84 and used the occasion to make it clear that he remains at the helm of the saffron party's affairs. "I have the remote control of politics and the remote control will continue to remain with me," Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana. Five years ago, Thackeray had announced his retirement from active politics, making way for son Uddhav to take over the reins of the party.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress and its allies of plotting to have a separate Constitution for Kashmir and working to restore Article 370. Addressing a rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, Modi claimed the Congress is speaking the language of Pakistan and that every Indian wants only Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution in Kashmir. He also highlighted the BJP's fulfillment of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's wish by renaming Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, emphasizing the Congress's opposition to the decision. Modi further contrasted the BJP's focus on national pride and development with the Congress's alleged support for Aurangzeb. He pointed out the BJP's achievements in granting classical language status to Marathi and attracting maximum FDI in Maharashtra after forming the Mahayuti government.
Thackeray distanced himself from remarks made in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Samana that praised Tamil superstar Rajnikanth, who had his early life in Karnataka, for his stand on the Hogenakkal issue. It said it had 'dwarfed' Bachchan when it came to taking a firm position on issues relating to Maharashtra. Thackeray said the actor was a family friend.
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has termed the raking up of Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad's visit to his residence five years ago as "Goebbels' propaganda", saying an anti-Mumbai virus has spread, but it would have no impact on his party.
His political differences with the Congress notwithstanding, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray admires Indira Gandhi as a "woman with guts" who had the capability to govern.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Monday criticised Sachin Tendulkar for his "Mumbai for all" remark, saying there was no need for the cricket icon to take a "cheeky single" and hurting the Marathi psyche by moving to the pitch of politics.
The stars come out to party again!
Thackeray, in an editorial published in party mouthpiece Saamana, said, "The Karunanidhi government has issued an ordinance making Tamil compulsory in all schools in the state." "Lalu, who has turned Bihar into hell, should hold a mela of Biharis in Tamil Nadu, ruled by his ally at the Centre, to champion the cause of North Indians there."
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Wednesday described Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray as the new Mohammad Ali Jinnah and said his estranged nephew was intent on dividing Marathi people.
The Congress on Monday refused to read any political overtures in the meeting between its ally Nationalist Congress Party's chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in Mumbai, saying it was to ensure the conduct of a hassle-free IPL. Asked whether Pawar's meeting with Thackeray was a snub to the Congress, party spokesperson Abhishekh Manu Singhvi said, "Pawar has met Thackeray to prevent the politics of disruption in cricketing matters."
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Monday came in defence of his party workers and blamed the attack on the 'Maharashtra Times' office on Nationalist Congress Party's state president Madhukar Pichad.
Thackeray welcomed Bajaj Auto chairman Rahul Bajaj's comments against the proposed bailout of debt-ridden Kingfisher by the government.
'The moment the NDA government came down, most of the allies moved out of the partnership,' he said.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Wednesday asked all the institutions in the city with the name Bombay as prefix to change it to Mumbai, failing which the party would target them.
Although the process which went on after 3 am, was largely peaceful, police foiled a bid by zealous Shiv sainiks to erect a memorial of the Sena patriarch adjacent to the Shivaji statue at the park
Shiv Sena members on Tuesday warned Abu Asim Azmi, Member of Legislative Assembly from Samajwadi Party, against making remarks about Sena chief Bal Thackeray.
In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray had attacked MPs from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for what he termed was launching an anti-Marathi tirade in Parliament. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Committee headed by senior Congress MP, V Kishore Chandra Deo, on Tuesday after it recorded evidence of some members who had raised a breach of privilege against the Shiv Sena chief.
The octogenarian leader said he agreed with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that these tactics to gain free publicity should be ignored. Without naming Raj, Thackeray said 'chicken in state politics are suffering from bird flu of depression', and hence they have no value.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has demanded building of a 'Amarnath House' or 'Vaishnodevi House' for Hindus on the lines of 'Haj House' in Mumbai for Muslims.
The national executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party, held in Mumbai, has made it amply clear that no important decisions can be taken in the party by sidelining Narendra Modi, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray said on Saturday.
Ahead of Asif Ali Zardari's pilgrimage to the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on nThursday took a dig at the Pakistan President, wondering how could the prayers of those who have an "evil eye" on India could be answered.
After brickbats, it is now bouquets for cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar from the Shiv Sena.
Marathwada region, from where arrested Lashkar-e-Tayiba handler of 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack Abu Jundal hails, is fast becoming the "new Pakistan", Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said on Wednesday.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who died on February 6, was cremated at the ground situated in Dadar.
Thackeray also took a veiled dig at chief minister Shinde as the allocation of portfolios is yet to be done though the cabinet was expanded recently after a long wait.
Days after his nephew Raj opposed -- albeit briefly -- a TV show featuring Pakistani artistes, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday said he would not allow Pakistani cricketers to play in India.
Thackeray's remarks that only the Sena pattern -- and not Modi -- will work in Maharashtra, is being viewed as a reminder to top state BJP leaders who want to replicate the 'Modi effect' in the state. Sena is the senior partner in the over two-decade old saffron alliance, which has seen a lot of turbulence after the killing of Pramod Mahajan, the main architect of the alliance.
Chandrakant Patil also took a swipe at Uddhav for accusing Eknath Shinde of stealing the legacy of Bal Thackeray.
In an interesting meeting scheduled for July 13, Pranab Mukherjee, the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition's nominee for the Presidential election, would be calling on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, to thank him.
The Maharashtra minister alleged that Muslim voters were convinced that Uddhav Thackeray had "forsaken" Hindutva ideologies and the ideals of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray which led to them coming together to help the Congress and Shiv Sena-UBT candidates.
A day after Union Minister Sharad Pawar met Bal Thackeray requesting him to withdraw its threat against Australian cricketers' participation in Indian Premier League, Shiv Sena on Monday said it would take a final call on the issue in two-three days
Rane announced his resignation as leader of opposition in the Maharashtra assembly on Saturday.
With Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray targeting some Members of Parliament from Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Wednesday said that such references amounted to contempt of the House.
Former Union Finance Minister C D Deshmukh was the only Marathi leader in New Delhi with self-respect, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has said.
The enquiry report on the arrest of two girls for their Facebook comments against the shutdown for Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray's funeral has indicted the policemen involved in initiating action and observed that the arrests could have been avoided.
It is not clear, however, what has prompted them to write to Thackeray, and what do they expect from him in return.
