A hug, a photo, a signal? Raj & Uddhav meet again, this time at Matoshree on ex-CM's birthday
It was Uddhav's 65th birthday and Raj landed at the Thackeray residence Matoshree in Mumbai, his first visit of note since 2012 when he had called on his ailing uncle Bal Thackeray in his last days. Raj had also visited Matoshree to invite Uddhav and his family to his son Amit's wedding in 2019, but it was a brief visit.
Mumbai: On Sunday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray sprang a surprise on his cousin Uddhav Thackeray, as well as the public and politicians at large.
Raj and Uddhav also held a victory rally earlier this month on 5 July to celebrate the Maharashtra government's rollback of two resolutions making Hindi the 'default' third language in government schools across the state. It was the first time the cousins had shared a stage politically after Raj broke away from the then undivided Shiv Sena in 2005.
On Sunday, Raj was accompanied by party leader Bala Nandgaonkar. He presented Uddhav with a bouquet of flowers and hugged him, all while posing for the cameras. Party workers couldn't contain their excitement on seeing both Thackerays together again.
Reacting to the birthday surprise, Uddhav told reporters, 'I am very, very happy and delighted.' Later, the two went inside and held a closed-door meeting for nearly 20 minutes.
Raj also shared on X a picture of him and Uddhav posing in front of a portrait of Bal Thackeray, Shiv Sena founder.
'This is a hopeful and happy day for all of us,' Shiv Sena UBT MLA Bhaskar Jadhav told the media following the meeting. He added that whether the union of parties will take place or not would be discussed in a serious setting, not informally.
Since their victory rally earlier this month, Uddhav has on multiple occasions said the cousins have come together to stay together. But Raj has stayed away from commenting on the possible alliance so far. His move Sunday is thus seen as significant.
Speaking to the media in Nagpur, CM Devendra Fadnavis said Sunday, 'This is a good thing that Raj Thackeray went to wish Uddhav Thackeray on his birthday. What is the politics in this? Even we have given him best wishes.'
This is an updated version of the report`
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: 5 reasons Thackeray cousins Raj, Uddhav may bury hatchet, rally behind 'Marathi manoos' plank
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