Sena factions vie for Bal Thackeray legacy on his birth anniversary

Rival factions of the Shiv Sena vied with each other to lay claim to the political legacy of party founder Bal Thackeray on his 97th birth anniversary as they held separate events in Mumbai to pay tributes to him and targeted each other.

Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, the son of Bal Thackeray, and his family members did not attend the event. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whose revolt in June last year, split the party, said Bal Thackeray was the only Indian leader that Pakistan feared. 

Speaking at the inauguration of an oil portrait of Bal Thackeray in the central hall of Maharashtra legislative building in south Mumbai on the occasion of his birth anniversary, he said the Sena founder never compromised on his values to gain power.

Shinde said, He was an ardent supporter of Hindutva, but never hated the Muslim community. His only opposition was to those who used to praise Pakistan, while living in India. Without taking the name of his predecessor and now political rival Uddhav Thackeray, who heads a faction of the Shiv Sena.

He (Bal Thackeray) never compromised on his values to gain power. He functioned as a remote control of the government (in 1995-99 when Sena-BJP combine was in power) but never used it for personal gains. Uddhav Thackeray, who was ousted from power in June last year after a section of MLAs revolted against his leadership, has consistently accused the rival Shinde-led camp (Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena) of working only to protect their personal interests.

Reacting to the unveiling of the Sena founder’s portrait in the Vidhan Bhavan complex, Uddhav Thackeray said, Your act of installing an oil painting of Balasaheb may be good, but your intention is bad. Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya, a former minister and the MLA from Worli in Mumbai, and other family members stayed away from the official event. The father-son duo, along with other prominent members of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), offered floral tributes to the late politician’s statue located a few kilometres away from the Vidhan Bhavan building in south Mumbai.