A Mumbai court on Monday issued summons to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and asked him to remain present in court on September 20 in connection with a petition filed by Nationalist Congress Party activist Munna Tripathi.
Political analysts said that the meeting assumes importance as dissident Congress leader Narayan Rane is a 'common enemy' of both Thackeray as well as Pawar.
The Indian Cricket Board on Monday reacted strongly to Bal Thackeray's criticism of Sachin Tendulkar for his 'Mumbai is for all' comments, saying the Shiv Sena chief should be brought to book as his verbal attack on the batting maestro was uncalled for.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday asked politicians to stop glorifying the resilient spirit of Mumbai in the aftermath of the November 26 terror attack and show 'the iron will' to engage the Indian armed forces in a decisive battle to crush the hostile neighbour. In a sarcastic reference to the much-hyped spirit of Mumbai, Thackeray said even after the 1993 serial bomb blasts, the city was back to its chores the next day and the stock market too transacted business.
His chamber had a large photograph of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and a picture of Shinde's mentor Anand Dighe next to it.
'What is this Valentine Day? In what way it is related to Indian culture? It is a rotten imported culture thriving on the neo-rich with easy money to squander,' he said in a front page comment in the party mouthpiece Saamna on Thursday.
Thousands of people from all walks of life have kept a vigil outside Matoshree -- the residence on ailing Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray -- hoping for some good news about their beloved leader's fragile health.
As the news spread, several party workers assembled outside his residence, `Matoshree', in suburban Bandra, where security has been stepped up.
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra two days ago, was "fine", the doctor treating him said.
Shinde said Patil told him that he did not mean to disrespect the late Sena supremo.
'At his shakhas you would meet all the small people of society...' remembers journalist Olga Tellis who knew the Shiv Sena leader for many decades. 'He gave them an identity. He helped them feel relevant in the city, and his people loved it.'
The Supreme Court resumed hearing pleas challenging the Maharashtra Speaker's decision regarding the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLAs and the Election Commission's recognition of the Shinde faction as the "real" Shiv Sena. Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, representing the Shinde camp, argued that the EC has jurisdiction under Article 324 to examine a party's democratic character and organisational structure, especially when the Thackeray faction's constitution was not registered with the poll panel. He emphasised that the Shinde faction's case is based on a split within the political party, not just its legislative wing, citing cadre discontent. The hearing remains inconclusive.
The Shiv Sena chief blamed the Maharashtrian population for the party's defeat in the assembly polls in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray demanded a ban on the controversial Indian Premier League (IPL) "to save cricket".
The Mumbai Cricket Association's Managing Committee on Tuesday decided to contact the family of late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and seek their consent to name the media box at the Wankhede Stadium after him.
I was armed with two dictaphones -- and a bottle of whisky that the editor had paid for, to lubricate the conversation.
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Sunday night launched his grandson Aditya into politics anointing him as the head of its youth wing at a Dussehra rally, which also witnessed three generations of Thackerays sharing the podium.
Equating the Congress party to Moghul kings who have invaded Maharashtra, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Friday heaped scorn on Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, calling him "inept". In a strong-worded editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, Thackeray ridiculed Chavan, who has been claiming that the Sena will become "inconsequential" after the Mumbai civic polls on February 16.
Brushing aside all queries concerning the health of Shiv sena chief Bal Thackeray, the party on Tuesday said that his health was fine and there was no reason to worry.
The Shiv Sena supremo was caught in a good mood, as he sat on stage.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Monday said that Pranab Mukherjee should begin his tenure as President by rejecting the mercy plea of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and create history. Congratulating Mukherjee on his election as the 13th President, Thackeray said we have great expectations from Pranab Mukherjee.
It was supposed to be a Maharashtra Day speech, however for Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray turned it into a Sena rally.
I have pledged that the Sena will win maximum number of seats in the municipal elections in Maharashtra, says Uddhav Thackeray
The Shiv Sena chief said there is still ample time for the formation of the next government and he had not yet decided about the chief ministerial candidate. He ruled out any race for leadership within the Sena.
Last year, Thackeray had announced he would no longer address public rallies on a regular basis.
Mumbai limped back on its feet on Monday, a day after the cremation of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray as taxis and auto rickshaws plied on the roads and markets opened up gradually.
A day after nephew and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray backed cartoonist Aseem Trivedi who was arrested on charges of sedition, Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray on Wednesday came out in his support and opposed the sedition law.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray demanded a ban on Tuesday on the controversial Indian Premier League "to save cricket." "The ongoing controversy involving IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor has maligned the image of the 'gentleman's game'. Ban the IPL to save the game of cricket," he said in a statement on Tuesday night.
The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, whose elected members assaulted Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi in the Maharashtra assembly for taking oath in Hindi, on Tuesday warned him on speaking against Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.
Sena sources said Thackeray's son Uddhav will not be present during the meeting.
The Shiv Sena, an ex-BJP ally which has been a strong supporter of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, congratulated the people of the country over the long-awaited foundation stone laying ceremony for the grand temple.
"Since yesterday, Shiv Sena chief's condition is stable. I had said yesterday and I will say again today, I have not given up hope. You too must not give up hope because we all are fighting soldiers of a fighting leader."
The mortal remains of Bal Thackeray, a Hindutva mascot and flagbearer of Marathi pride, were consigned to flames as lakhs of mourners joined the Shiv Sena founder's grieving family to bid him a tearful farewell, with the city observing a virtual shutdown.
Close on the heels of Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu's proposal for converting Mahalaxmi Racecourse into a public garden, his boss and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said his party would endorse any proposal seeking to name such garden after late Bal Thackeray.
Within a week of Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray asking private FM radio channels to air Marathi songs, 94.3 Radio One has decided to have a dedicated weekly show for Marathi music.
The Shiv Sena chief's comments come in the background of reports that the BJP is keen to allow the NCP to enter the NDA.
"Balasaheb sent Raj a bouquet of flowers and they spoke on the phone this morning, as they do every year on Raj'sbirthday," a source close to Raj said in Mumbai.
Raj was dubbed as 'Dhanajirao' -- a euphemism for one who is wealthy or hankers after money -- by his uncle and Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.
In a U-turn from its earlier stand to include Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in a panel to discuss construction of party patriarch Bal Thackeray's memorial, the Maharashtra government resolution has not included any political leaders in the committee.
In an editorial of Sena newspaper Samna, the senior Thackeray claimed that some of the terrorists arrested in the Jamia Nagar Batla House encounter were activists of Samajwadi Party and for this reason the party should be uprooted for the sake of the country's interest.
