Balasaheb showed Hindutva its vote power, says Raj Thackeray at centenary event

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday said it was Balasaheb Thackeray who made people realise the political strength of Hindutva as a voting force in the countryRecalling a past interaction involving the late Shiv Sena founder Raj said Balasaheb had once spoken to senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan about making Hindus aware of their electoral powerldquoBalasaheb told Pramod Mahajan that Hindus needed to understand the strength of their vote Mahajan did not fully believe it at the time but Balasaheb went on to prove his pointrdquo Raj saidThe remarks were made at a public event held at Shanmukhananda Auditorium in Mumbai to mark the birth centenary of Balasaheb ThackerayIn a rare political moment cousins Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray shared the same stage marking their first public appearance together since the recent municipal election resultsBalasaheb Thackeray was born on January 23 1926 and passed away on November 17 2012 at the age of 86lsquoBazaar politicsrsquoCriticising the present political climate Raj said the nature of politics had changed drasticallyldquoPolitics today has become a bazaar If Balasaheb were alive he would have been deeply hurt by the way politics is practised nowrdquo he saidCalling his uncle a towering figure in Indian politics Raj added ldquoBalasaheb was a rare personality There has never been a leader like him and there never will berdquoExpressing displeasure over current political developments in Maharashtra and across the country Raj said it was perhaps good that Balasaheb was not alive to witness what was happening todayldquoPolitics today looks like an auction where power is openly negotiated Balasaheb would never have tolerated such politicsrdquo he saidReflecting on his decision to quit the Shiv Sena in 2005 Raj said the move was emotionally painfulldquoIt was not merely leaving a party For me it felt like leaving my own homerdquo he said recalling his close bond with Balasaheb and the organisation he builtUddhav targets BJPAddressing the same gathering Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray launched a veiled attack on the BJPrsquos central leadership alleging that two businessmen were using Maharashtrarsquos manpower against the state itselfHe claimed that political rivals had attempted to erase the Thackeray name from Maharashtrarsquos political landscapeldquoBut Shiv Sainiks fought hard and stopped those attempts This can happen only in Maharashtrardquo Uddhav saidReferring to Balasaheb Thackeray Uddhav said the late leader had taught Marathi people to live with dignity and selfrespectHe urged the audience to take a pledge that they would not work as ldquoslavesrdquo for the two businessmenlsquoBetrayal came from withinrsquoSpeaking emotionally Uddhav said the pain was deeper because the betrayal had come from within in an indirect reference to Eknath Shinde whose rebellion split the undivided Shiv Sena and later led to the partyrsquos name and symbol being awarded to his factionDespite limited organisational resources Uddhav said he would continue to fightldquoI will not bow down to rivals I appeal to everyone to greet each other with lsquoJai Maharashtrarsquordquo he said calling for unity and pride in the stateCommenting on the recent civic polls Uddhav said his party had fought strongly but missed victory by a narrow marginldquoPower comes and goes We will fight again make a strong comeback and regain powerrdquo he added