‘Will never part ways’: Uddhav on Thackerays’ unity

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said he and his cousin Raj Thackeray, chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, who have united ahead of the civic elections, will never part ways.

“Till the time we came together, people used to ask us as to why we are not coming together. Now they are asking why we have come together and for how long we will stay together,” Uddhav Thackeray said.

“These things don’t mean a lot. We have come together after much thought and understanding. Now, we will never part ways and stay united,” he said.

Coming together politically for the first time in nearly two decades, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray last month announced an alliance ahead of the January 15 polls in Mumbai and 28 other municipal corporations in Maharashtra.

Asked if Uddhav Thackeray, the political leader prevails over Uddhav Thackeray, the avid photographer, the Sena-UBT leader said: “I am originally an artist. I am the son of a cartoonist (Sena founder Bal Thackeray). You can buy work of art but you can’t buy art.

“Art has to be in the blood. I am a person who is at home in the arts,” he said. Uddhav recalled that it was Raj Thackeray’s father Shrikant Thackeray who gave him his first camera.

Asked if he sees some other political leader who has “art in his blood,” Uddhav said, “(PM) Modi ji is one such person. Do you think of anyone else?”

Uddhav also stressed the need for opposition parties, including the Congress and regional players, to come together and said there was no other alternative to it.

He said: “Probe a bit and check whether the INDIA bloc is there or not. This is right that we met only once after Parliament polls at Rahul ji’s (Gandhi) residence.”

He said the Congress unilaterally declared that it wants to form an alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) but not with those who are with it.

It is their decision, the former Maharashtra CM said. mpost