As per instructions issued by Swargate police station, Thackeray's speech must not insult any community or result in ill-will among people.
Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has criticised the Maharashtra government's recent decision to grant taxi permits to only those drivers who are well versed in Marathi and have resided in the state for at least 15 years. Most taxi drivers in Mumbai are migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.Lalu alleged that the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine was 'going the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's way".
The Mumbai police believe that while selecting a crowded area in the vicinity of Kabutarkhana and Shiv Sena headquarters in Dadar for triggering blasts, the terrorists had a twin objective -- to create trouble in an area dominated by the Marathi-speaking middle-class and destabilise political equations. The headquarters of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the residence of its chief Raj Thackeray were also situated a few minutes away from the blast site.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday met Governor S C Jamir at Raj Bhavan in the backdrop of the attack on Mumbai University premises by MNS student activists.Jamir, in his capacity as chancellor of universities in the state, had summoned the MNS chief to discuss the ransacking of Mumbai university's registrar chamber over the issue of 'neglect' of Marathi students.
Thackeray also condemned the collapse of a girder of an overbridge which was being constructed on a section of the Mumbai-Goa highway in Chiplun city on Monday.
Fadnavis questioned the people's perception of Indian languages and English.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday accused Shiv Sena of adopting dual standards, saying the party was insisting on an apology from Shah Rukh Khan over his pro-Pakistan remarks while keeping mum on megastar Amitabh Bachchan's campaign for good ties with that country.
HC raps Maharashtra government again over MNS violence. "Why no chargesheets have been filed against any of the offenders?" division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice S A Bobde asked. "Keep the senior officer in charge of the probe present in the court next Wednesday (December 10)," ordered the high court.
On the eve of the Maharashtra assembly election, Loksatta Editor Kumar Ketkar, one of the most accomplished commentators on the state's politics, speaks to Prasanna D Zore.
Mumbaikars can finally heave a sigh of relief. They will be able to celebrate this Valentine's Day in peace, as both Bal Thackeray and his nephew are busy campaigning for the crucial elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The Shiv Sena, led by Bal Thackeray, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, led by Raj Thackeray, have in the past been infamous for coming down heavily against young couples celebrating Valentine's Day, which they think is a Western concept.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday slammed the Maharashtra government for its handling of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's agitation about Marathi signboards."Why no action has been taken against respondent number six (Raj Thackeray)?....Are some people untouchable for you?" Justice Patel asked as the government failed to file a proper reply regarding the action taken.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday remained unfazed over the reported threat by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to disallow Bihar divas celebrations in Mumbai, saying no one can stop him from attending the event and he did not require a "visa" to travel there.
Thackeray said there was no certainty that people will vote for the ruling alliance even after schemes like the Ladki Bahin Yojana.
Thackeray also declared the candidature of Satyajit Patil, Bharti Kamdi and Karan Pawar from Hatkanangale, Palghar, and Jalgaon constituencies, respectively.
The Raj Thackeray-led MNS senses an opportunity after the Shiv Sena-UBT candidate's lead fell to less than 7,000 votes in the Worli assembly segment during the recent Lok Sabha polls.
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.
Jet Airways' management may not able to implement the pay cut it wanted in lieu of retaining 800 retrenched employees. That's because the Shiv Sena has now got into the act after the breakaway Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's prominent supporting role to retrenched employees.
"It is a shame on our government who do not utter anything favouring Marathi people...They are not prompt and keen enough for Maharashtrians," the MNS said in a SMS sent to the media.
"I will myself attend the Chhat Puja celebration," Deshmukh said, while replying to a query on the sidelines of a function organised by Marathi daily Dainik Ekmat. Asked about Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray's threat in his May 3 speech at Shivaji Park that he would not allow Lalu's Chhat Puja, Deshmukh said: "I will be there. It will be seen who has more strength."
Thackeray said that Ajit Pawar should pay his uncle the same kind of attention he pays outside.
'Like me there are crores of Marathi people in the state hoping for this miracle to work.'
The Haryana victory will be a morale booster for the Bharatiya Janata Party and increase its bargaining power in the Mahayuti's seat-sharing talks for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, according to political analysts.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance on Saturday retained power in Maharashtra, pocketing a whopping 230 of the 288 assembly seats, as the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi's dream of wresting power fizzled, with the opposition combine managing to garner just 50 seats.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis warned against violence and linguistic chauvinism related to the Marathi language, emphasizing constructive promotion and legal action against those taking the law into their own hands.
Wagging its tail non-stop, the dog with a red collar refused to leave Tata's side, literally clinging to the spot next to the casket.
Fadnavis said the talks between Shah and Raj Thackeray were positive, and the picture would be clear in the next few days.
After actor Amitabh Bachchan vowed not to leave Mumbai in the wake of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena campaign against him, party chief Raj Thackeray on Friday said that he had never asked the actor to leave Maharashtra. Raj's remarks came in the wake of Bachchan's comments three days ago, stating that he was not an outsider in Mumbai and that he would not leave the city.The actor had made the remarks as he was hurt by the campaign that was unleashed by the MNS against him.
The BJP and Shiv Sena, which along with Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party comprise the ruling Mahayuti, for some time now have been courting Thackeray, who founded the MNS in 2006.
Facing mounting opposition to the introduction of Hindi language in Maharashtra schools from classes 1 to 5, the state cabinet on Sunday decided to withdraw two GRs (government orders) on the implementation of the three-language policy.
Mumbai has 1,104 mosques of which 135 used loudspeakers during the morning namaz on Wednesday, he claimed, seeking to know what action was being taken against these mosques 'which violated the law.'
From wearing oversized glasses to the oratory style and issues--Raj Thackeray is trying to emulate whatever his uncle Balasaheb Thackery and the Shiv Sena stood for. A perturbed Uddhav Thackeray, his cousin and son of Balasaheb, already called him "a contractor working on commission for the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combination because he fears that he might be put in a cage like a rat if NCP-Congress comes to power".
While ruling out any alliance with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for the Ferbruary 22 BMC polls, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said, "I realised that he is vocal about the rights of Maharashtrians and fights for them. Simultaneously, he does not want to spread hatred against non-Maharashtrians."
A day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray reiterated his warning to take down loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, the state home department on Monday stated that the use of loudspeakers at religious sites will only be allowed with due permission.
He also said the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the BJP will jointly contest the upcoming elections to the Mumbai civic body.
However, incumbent Chief Minster Ashok Chavan said the Congress-NCP alliance will be looking at the Republican Party of India for possible outside support if it fell short of the majority mark.
After MNS threat, some people in Khultabad area, where the tomb is located, tried to lock the structure.
Raj has set May 4 as the deadline to remove loudspeakers from mosques.
A day before the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's toll-plaza agitation, chief Raj Thackeray said that his party will not indulge in any vandalism but all highways will be blocked across the state from 9 am on Wednesday.
A day after the MNS chief declared his unconditional support for the ruling Mahayuti alliance, Sanjay Shirsat, the spokesperson for the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, claimed the move would avoid the potential vote division in elections.
Speculations about a rapprochement between Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray are gathering steam, but leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) acknowledge that personal ties and organisational synergy are significant hurdles that need to be overcome. While both parties have expressed a willingness to put aside "trivial issues" and unite, the prospect of a reunion is complex, involving family dynamics, ideological differences, and the potential for internal conflicts. The reunion buzz has come at a time when both parties are experiencing a political nadir, with the Sena (UBT) winning 20 seats and the MNS drawing a blank in the 2024 assembly polls. The prospect of the two cousins coming together has enthused supporters of both parties, but it might not be the case with a section of cadres and party leaders. Key concerns include seat-sharing agreements, potential conflicts in areas with strong bases for both parties, and ideological differences.