"Will always cherish interactions with him": PM Modi remembers Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray

Prime Minister Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his 97th birth anniversary on Monday, saying he devoted his life to public welfare.PM Modi said he would always cherish his interactions with the Maratha leader, one of the early pioneers of hardline Hindutva politics, who enjoyed a large following.

"Remembering Balasaheb Thackeray Ji on his birth anniversary. I will always cherish my various interactions with him. He was blessed with rich knowledge and wit. He devoted his life to public welfare," the Prime Minister tweeted. The 97th birth anniversary of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray will be marked by the two factions of the Shiv Sena separately on Monday. While Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction will unveil Bal Thackeray’s portrait in the central hall of the state legislature in South Mumbai, Uddhav Thackeray will pay tribute to his father at Bal Thackeray’s lifesize statue installed at Regal Circle in Colaba.