Thackeray brothers come together on Balasaheb’s death anniversary
For the first time in nearly three months, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at Bal Thackeray’s memorial here on Monday. The two warring cousins — Uddhav and Raj Thacekray also spoke to each other on the occasion of Bal Thackeray’s second death anniversary.
Fadnavis with over half a dozen of his cabinet ministers and several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders arrived at the Thackeray memorial in Shivaji Park and paid homage to the late Sena founder-patriarch. He laid a wreath at the memorial, paid homage and then walked over to Uddhav where the Shiv Sena chief sat along with his family members.
As Uddhav stood up, Fadnavis greeted him, warmly shook hands and sat beside him. The duo spoke for a few minutes.
“Bal Thackeray has been an inspiring force for us for years. His blessings have always been with us. There cannot be anybody like him ever. We have decided to set up a full-fledged memorial befitting his stature in Mumbai,” Fadnavis announced.
Fadnavis added that leaders of all political parties, including the Sena chief Uddhav, would be consulted before the details are finalized by a high-level committee headed by the state chief secretary.
Raj Thackeray also arrived, paid homage and then went up to Uddhav. The two cousins smiled and shook hands.
Earlier, the two leaders met in private when Uddhav visited his teenager niece, Urvashi, Raj’s daughter who met with a road accident last fortnight, and this is their first public appearance together in the past two years after Bal Thackeray’s death.