A Bihar court has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray for allegedly making uncharitable and inflammatory remarks against Biharis in his party mouthpiece 'Saamna'. Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate (Bhojpur) Rakesh Pati Tiwari ordered issuance of the NBW against the Sena founder after Thackeray failed to appear before him in compliance with his July 7 order.
Maharashtra BJP's chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye has called on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to cancel his party's annual Dussehra rally and instead use the funds to provide relief to flood victims in the Marathwada region. Upadhye criticized Thackeray's past performance as chief minister and suggested that canceling the rally would demonstrate genuine concern for the affected population.
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.
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.
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.
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.
As the news spread, several party workers assembled outside his residence, `Matoshree', in suburban Bandra, where security has been stepped up.
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.
'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.
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.
'If the BJP had contested all 227 seats, I believe they would have managed to secure a majority on their own.'
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.
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.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf hopes that Nishaanchi will be a blockbuster like its trailer.
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.
Nurses at a Mumbai hospital allegedly threw books critical of religion at an official who gifted them, claiming the books hurt their religious sentiments. A video of the incident has gone viral.
The Shiv Sena chief blamed the Maharashtrian population for the party's defeat in the assembly polls in Maharashtra.
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.
It was supposed to be a Maharashtra Day speech, however for Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray turned it into a Sena rally.
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.
Rane also questioned Uddhav Thackeray's right to comment on the match, accusing his party of staying silent when pro-Pakistan slogans were allegedly raised at a rally by one of its MPs.
"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."
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.
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.
Ailing Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Wednesday did not attend his party's annual Dussehra rally but sought support for his son and grandson as he launched a broadside against Congress and the Gandhi family through a recorded message.
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.
Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said that he 'would love to have a cup of tea with Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray' during UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Mumbai next week.
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has said that Sushma Swaraj is the only leader in the BJP who is 'deserving' and will make a 'great choice' for the prime minister's post, evoking a cautious response from the Bharatiya Janata Party which said it has a number of 'capable' leaders to fill the top slot.
Shiv Sena on Tuesday said the place where Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's last rites were conducted was similar to Ayodhya.
I have pledged that the Sena will win maximum number of seats in the municipal elections in Maharashtra, says Uddhav Thackeray
In the one year since his father, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's death, Uddhav may not have done much, but the coming months will show if it was time wasted or spent in useful strategy-making, says Mahesh Vijapurkar.
Last year, Thackeray had announced he would no longer address public rallies on a regular basis.
"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.
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.
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.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has slammed the BJP over its stance on the Waqf Amendment Bill, accusing the party of a "fraudulent" approach and of trying to take away land for its industrialist friends. He also dared the BJP to remove the green color from its party flag if it disliked Muslims. Thackeray's comments come after the bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's 2nd death anniversary on Monday saw BJP reaching out to Sena with a promise to construct a memorial befitting the leader's stature as it brought together the squabbling claimants to his legacy-son and successor Uddhav and nephew Raj of MNS.
Sena sources said Thackeray's son Uddhav will not be present during the meeting.
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.
