Raj meets Bal Thackeray, Sena denies political agenda

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena on Sunday described the meeting between MNS supremo Raj Thackeray and its chief Bal Thackeray as one between a nephew and an uncle and denied that it had any political agenda.

"The meeting was between a nephew and an uncle and there was no political agenda and no political discussion," Shiv Sena spokesman Sanjya Rout told PTI.

He said Sen'a executive president Udhab Thackeray was also present at the meeting which lasted for 20 minutes.

Rout said Raj had come to return some books on cartoons. Raj met Bal Thackeray at Matoshree, the latter's residence in suburban Bandra, their first meeting since he left the Sena and launched Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in 2006.

The last time Raj met the senior Thackeray was on January 23, 2006, the Sena chief's birthday. Raj said he got a call from his uncle in the morning today asking him to send some old books to Matoshree.

Two years ago, Bal Thackeray had publicly admonished Raj in a Sena meeting that he should stop evoking his name and using his photographs.

The only communication between the uncle and the nephew in the last two years has been the occasional phone call and exchange of bouquets on birthdays.