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'Ganpati Bappa' Brings Thackerays Closer Together, Uddhav Visits Raj's House

The Thackeray cousins reunited after forcing the Maharashtra government to recall a contentious order making Marathi a mandatory langauge for primary school students.

Mumbai:

'The remover of obstacles' - that is how the elephant-headed Lord Ganesh is referred to in Hindu mythology, and he worked his magic in Mumbai Wednesday, on Ganesh Chaturthi, to bring the estranged Thackeray cousins closer together before civic body election later this year.

This morning Shiv Sena (UBT) boss Uddhav Thackeray welcomed cousin Raj Thackeray, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief, to the family home of Matoshree to worship 'Ganpati bappa'.

In the larger context of Maharashtra politics - the landscape of which continues to be dominated by Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray, even decades after his death - Raj Thackeray's visit was crucial.

It was a public show of strength and solidarity on one of the holiest of days.

But it was not monumental, for Raj broke his 13-year absence from Matoshree in July. What was, was Uddhav Thackeray at Shivtirth, Raj Thackeray's home, for the first time in two decades.

The cousins split in November 2005, shortly after Bal Thackeray's death.

Over the next 20 years they were rivals, for votes and for the Sena legacy.

But it was always Uddhav, Bal Thackeray's son, who was seen as the flag-bearer of that inheritance.

It wasn't till the current government, led by the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis, and the now-cancelled order making the teaching of Marathi mandatory for students from Class I to V, that the frost began to thaw.

The reunion gathered steam as the cousins claimed joint credit for forcing the government to recall that order, and then announced plans to contest the high-profile Mumbai civic election.

READ | Raj Thackeray Visits Matoshree After 13 Years For Cousin Uddhav's Birthday

And the reunion further fructified with Raj Thackeray's July Matoshree visit.

There were grumblings last week after Raj Thackeray and Devendra Fadnvais' surprise meeting, particularly since it came a day after candidates backed by the Thackerays were routed in union polls.

READ | All Change In Mumbai? Ajit Pawar On Raj Thackeray-D Fadnavis Meet

After the poll defeat Mr Fadnavis declared the 'Thackeray brand' had been 'rejected' amid cash-for-vote allegations against a local politician associated with Uddhav Thackeray's Sena UBT.

But Raj Thackeray played down such talk, explaining the meeting with the Chief Minister was related to town planning issues, "subjects that have always been of interest to me". And today's visits over Ganesh Chaturthi appear to underline that message - the Thackerays are still united.

The BJP has repeatedly said it remains unperturbed by any reunion.

READ | "Parties That Lost Ground Are...": Mumbai BJP Chief Jabs Thackerays

On Monday the party's newly appointed Mumbai unit boss, Ameet Satam, stuck an aggressive note. "People coming together is not important. Mumbaikars have seen who has worked for them... worked on policies for the city. Development is more important," Mr Satam remarked this week.

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