Raj buries rivalry, campaigns for Sena

Setting aside his rivalry with cousin Uddhav, Bal Thackeray’s nephew Raj Thackeray today hit the campaign trail to canvass for the Shiv...

Setting aside his rivalry with cousin Uddhav, Bal Thackeray’s nephew Raj Thackeray today hit the campaign trail to canvass for the Shiv Sena. Raj made his debut on the election platform after weeks of speculation on his marginalisation in the party.

Addressing a meeting of local unit heads of the Sena-BJP combine in the Mumbai South Central constituency, Raj hit a dramatic note. ‘‘Now it’s the turn of another uncle and nephew, and this is divine justice,’’ he said, referring to the Bhujbal (former Deputy Chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal and his nephew Sameer) duo.

His speech centred on the theme of corruption in the Congress-NCP coalition and, as he chose to describe it, his personal vindication. Referring to the repeated interrogation of the Bhujbals in the fake stamp paper probe, he said the NCP leader was paying for his crimes. ‘‘They accused me of murder, and look what it got them,’’ he said. ‘‘They went all over the place, from high court to CBI and got nothing. And after ten years, the wheel has come full circle.’’

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It was in 1997 that Bhujbal, as leader of the Opposition, alleged that Raj Thackeray was involved in the death of Ramesh Kini, a resident of Matunga. The charge against him was that he was linked to Kini’s landlord, who had sought the Sena’s help to get Kini evicted. Though Raj was cleared of involvement, the controversy dented his reputation.

At today’s meeting of party activists, he said the saffron combine has won the battle, but efforts will have to be made to pull off a landslide win for Sena-BJP nominees in the metropolis.

Though Shiv Sena nominee Mohan Rawle has won Lok Sabha elections for three consecutive terms in the constituency, he faces an uphill task this time with don Arun Gawli and Samajwadi Party’s T.K. Choudhary, who is a former police officer, in the fray.