Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday directed his party leaders not to speak on the issue of reconciliation with his estranged cousin, Uddhav Thackeray, until the former returns from abroad on April 30, people aware of the matter said.
The direction came as MNS’s second-rung leaders responded negatively after Raj and Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday indicated their readiness to reconcile in the interest of Maharashtra and native Marathi speakers.
MNS Mumbai chief Sandeep Deshpande, who was among those who accused Uddhav Thackeray of betrayal , said Raj Thackeray will speak on the issue after returning.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) lawmaker Sanjay Raut said that no one from their party opposed the reconciliation. Raut urged MNS leaders to forget the past for a new start.
An editorial in Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) mouthpiece Saamana on Monday called for the need for the reconciliation of Raj and Uddhav Thackeray for Marathis and Maharashtra. The editorial lauded Raj Thackeray for consistently following the Marathi agenda. It accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to hand over control of Mumbai to non-Marathi people. “If we fail to reunite, future generations will not forgive us.”
On Saturday, Raj Thackeray said uniting in the interest of Marathis was not difficult. In a podcast with filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, he added that he had no issues working with Uddhav Thackeray in the undivided Shiv Sena. He said that for a bigger cause, their fights and issues are trivial.
At a separate event, Uddhav Thackeray said he was ready to put aside “trivial” fights provided that those working against Maharashtra’s interests were not entertained. He appealed to everyone to come together for the sake of the Marathi people. Uddhav Thackeray said his cousin should not host anti-Maharashtra people and parties anymore.
The comment came after deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, who engineered the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena to join the BJP-led alliance, visited Raj Thackeray’s residence. Uddhav Thackeray said Raj Thackeray cannot support the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls and oppose it during the assembly elections, and compromise. The MNS has switched sides multiple times.
Raj Thackeray quit the undivided Shiv Sena in January 2006, blaming Uddhav Thackeray for promoting him to do that. He formed the MNS, which won 13 seats in the 2009 assembly elections. The MNS’s performance has since been dismal. It failed to win any seats in the 2024 assembly polls.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena is a key partner of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. MNS has backed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
The estranged cousins indicated reconciliation amid opposition to the “imposition” of Hindi in Maharashtra after the BJP-led state government approved a three-language formula under the National Education Policy, including teaching Hindi from Class 1.