"I Was Able To Do What No One Could": Devendra Fadnavis On Thackeray Reunion

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis jocularly accepted credit for the reunion of Thackeray cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, saying, "I was able to do what no one could". 

Speaking at the NDTV conclave Marathi Manch, Fadnavis said, "Today's political space makes them believe they can increase their share by coming together". "I thank Raj Thackeray for giving me credit for the Thackeray reunion, I was able to do what no one else could," he said.

In his address at a massive victory rally in Mumbai's Worli, after the Maharashtra government rolled back two resolutions aimed at introducing Hindi as a third language in the state schools, Maharashtra Navnirman chief Raj Thackeray had said: "Uddhav (Thackeray) and I are coming together after 20 years... What Balasaheb Thackeray could not do, thousands others couldn't do, Devendra Fadnavis managed to do that."

The Thackerays -- estranged since 2005 -- had got together earlier this year ahead of the civic polls. They have their eyes on the Brihanmumbai Corporation -- Asia's richest -- which the undivided Sena had once dominated. 

Fadnavis, however, played down their chances, saying while the re-union was their "political compulsion" and he "won't blame them for it", "I don't think it will make any difference in the elections". 

The 'Thackeray brand' was all about Balasaheb Thackeray, there has been no brand after him. The current leadership hasn't even carried forward Balasaheb's ideological legacy. That has been carried forward only by Eknath Shinde."

The Thackeray brothers have had a series of meetings since June, when the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena UBT jointly opposed the state government's decision to make Hindi the third compulsory language in schools from Class 1. 

But the political reunion still has a few hurdles, with the Congress being steadily against the idea. Sharad Pawar, who has been the unofficial interlocutor of the Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi has signalled a positive response, sharing dais with the MNS chief at a recent event.

Sources have indicated that the Sena and the MNS have formed a committee of senior leaders to identify constituencies and assess where the organisational strength of each can be best utilised.