When ‘Royal Bengal tiger’ met ‘Maratha tiger’ in his den

Remembering Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Balasaheb Thackeray

In July 2012, then presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Bal Thackeray's home in suburban Mumbai had raised many eyebrows within the Congress.

While Mukherjee later mentioned in his autobiography that his meeting with Thackeray had riled Sonia Gandhi, the late Sena patriarch said it was but natural for the "Maratha tiger to support the Royal Bengal tiger." In the third volume of his autobiography, "Coalition Years: 1996-2012", Mukherjee mentioned that Gandhi was upset with him for meeting Thackeray.

Mukherjee said NCP chief Sharad Pawar, a coalition partner of the then UPA-II government, had insisted that he meet Thackeray. The Congress now shares power with the Sena and NCP in Maharashtra.

Mukherjee met Thackeray, who had unilaterally extended support to his candidature in the presidential bid, and had made elaborate arrangements for welcoming the Congress veteran to Matoshree, the Thackeray family residence in Bandra.

In his autobiography, Mukherjee, who died on Monday at 84, recalled that his visit to Mumbai on July 13, 2012 was significant as Thackeray, whose party was then a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, had, without being asked to, extended support to his candidature, which was completely unexpected.

"I had asked both Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar -- who was instrumental, I think, in influencing Thackeray towards me -- whether I should meet Thackeray during my visit to Mumbai. I had received several messages from him for an interaction at his residence. Sonia Gandhi was not enthusiastic about my meeting Bal Thackeray and (wanted to) avoid it, if possible”, he wrote.