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By 2003, Uddhav was all but announced as the Thackeray heir, while Raj – sidelined partly due to the Ramesh Kini murder case – formally quit the Shiv Sena in 2005
Uddhav Thackeray (R), along with his cousin Raj Thackeray (L), performs the last rites of his father and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in Mumbai on November 18, 2012. (Image: AFP/File)
Photography and caricature are both arts that deal with images. But, they are far from being similar. One is often seen as less imaginative but more precise, the other has artful imagination at its core. The relationship of estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray – looking at a potential reunion after 20 years – can well be captured in the fact that one uses a high-res camera to pinpoint and the other a mere pencil but lots of flair.
So, when Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, a cartoonist himself, chose the photographer Uddhav over his fellow artist Raj, observers felt it was more because the former was his son and the latter a nephew.
By 2003, Uddhav was all but announced as the Thackeray heir, while Raj – sidelined for some years by then partly due to the Ramesh Kini murder case – formally quit the Shiv Sena in 2005 while blaming his cousin for the decision. He went on to form his own version, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), in 2006 and made his claim to the Thackeray legacy.
Since Bal Thackeray was alive for some years after that, Uddhav’s claim proved stronger even though he lacked the charisma, even the art of oratory, that his father had built his entire brand on. Raj had the brand ethos, but not the material backing; hence, he neither got the party nor the legacy.
When a third claimant, Eknath Shinde, emerged from outside the family and took away much of the original party, its very name and symbol, the cousins had to realise they had more in common than they acknowledged. Individual ambition would mean nothing when the trophy itself is lost; even the Thackeray surname won’t matter. Both the parties, which are their weakest in current state politics, are viewing this as a final effort to stay relevant.
Raj’s MNS, which initially took a strident anti-North Indian stand, was pushed to the margins after winning 13 seats in the 2009 assembly elections. It drew a blank in the 2024 assembly polls.
Uddhav, meanwhile, received a major setback in 2022 when Shinde split the Shiv Sena and toppled his government. In the assembly polls, his Shiv Sena (UBT) was reduced to 20 seats.
Now that their possible patch-up has progressed from mere rumour to sensible speculation, it is timely to recall that their breakup story once included a murder mystery as a subplot.
WHAT IS THE RAMESH KINI MURDER CASE?
According to reports, on July 23, 1996, Dadar resident Ramesh Kini was found dead inside a theatre in Pune. His death, reported to be under mysterious circumstances, triggered a political storm in Maharashtra with the man’s wife Sheela alleging that Raj Thackeray had a hand in it.
Though the CBI later gave Raj a clean chit and did not name him in the chargesheet, the case became a thorn in the side for his promising political career as many observers saw him as the “rightful heir” to Bal Thackeray’s legacy. But, it was not to be.
Kini had reportedly left a note saying he was dying by suicide and his advocate knew why. His lawyer had a note from him saying his landlords – Laxmichand Shah and Suman Shah – were mentally torturing him to vacate their flat in Matunga. The Shahs were closely associated with the Shiv Sena through student wing leader Ashutosh Rane, all of whom were purportedly linked to Raj.
The case, first probed by the state CID, was later given to the CBI. The Shahs and Rane were charged with criminal conspiracy for forcing Kini to vacate his flat that led to his death by suicide.
Media reports said two post-mortems were conducted – one in Pune and another in Mumbai – that also produced different opinions. Sheela and social activist Pushpa Bhave, who single-handedly took on the Shiv Sena, had filed a writ in the Bombay High Court that directed the probe to be handed over to the CBI followed by an unsuccessful appeal from the state government. The central agency took over the case in November 1996.
HOW BAL THACKERAY REACHED OUT TO AMITABH BACHCHAN TO ‘HELP’ NEPHEW
There are, however, accounts of how Bal Thackeray approached Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan to use his influence with the United Front government to “rescue” Raj.
In his book, The Cousins Thackeray, journalist and author Dhaval Kulkarni has written an account of how Bal Thackeray, while saying the Ramesh Kini murder case was used to target his family, also admitted in an interview to Sena mouthpiece Saamana that the case “had not been handled the way it should have been from the very beginning”.
When Raj was exonerated, Bal Thackeray called it “the victory of the truth” while Uddhav said: “I had said this before, the hands which have carried the saffron flag, will never commit a sin…”
No matter that in May 2009, Uddhav in his fight for political supremacy raked up the Ramesh Kini murder case, simply using it as political ammunition against Raj. This was despite the fact that he had accompanied his cousin to the CBI court, and stood by him throughout.
“A senior Shiv Sena leader loyal to Uddhav said he had stood by his cousin during the Ramesh Kini controversy. ‘Many meetings, including those with lawyers, happened at the Saamna office. Uddhav also accompanied Raj to the CBI court,” he added,” states an excerpt from Kulkarni’s book.
In the book, Kulkarni has mentioned that the clean chit to Raj was not without controversy. He has referred to an article published by Hindustan Times on December 23, 2013, by journalist Sujata Anandan.
This report claimed that Amitabh Bachchan played a role. Anandan’s sources had told her that Bal Thackeray had “virtually gone down on his knees” with Bachchan, “who reportedly arranged a secret midnight meeting at his house between the then Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and the Shiv Sena chief”.
Kulkarni has also made a reference to senior journalist and editor Nikhil Wagle, whose Marathi newspaper Mahanagar had exposed the Kini case. “…in those tumultuous days, rumours were that Raj was likely to be arrested by the CBI. He claimed that politician Amar Singh had saved Raj’s skin during the episode. Ironically, Raj would later target Singh during his agitation against north Indians launched in 2008,” states an excerpt.
Kulkarni further writes in his book that the murder case had much to do with Raj’s decline in the Shiv Sena, coupled with deaths in the family and an ailing Bal Thackeray’s growing reliance on Uddhav.
“One of Raj’s former business associates claimed that in these times, some people had tried to influence his uncle’s opinion about Raj by alluding to factors like his flamboyant lifestyle. Raj was gradually pushed to the margins and beyond. Soon, he was asked to stop coming to the Saamna office. This led to his estrangement and eventual break from the Shiv Sena to form his own party in 2006,” he writes in the book.
What could essentially have been seen as politicisation of the CBI, ended up being just another case of two cousins fighting over “ancestral” property.
ARE THE ESTRANGED COUSINS READY FOR RAPPROCHEMENT?
Raj and Uddhav have sparked speculation about a possible reconciliation with statements indicating they could ignore “trivial issues” and join hands nearly two decades after a bitter parting of ways. While Raj, who heads the MNS, said uniting in the interests of “Marathi manoos” was not difficult, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he was ready to put aside trivial fights provided those working against Maharashtra’s interests were not entertained.
Uddhav’s assertion was seen as a veiled reference to the MNS chief recently hosting Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the rival Shiv Sena, at his residence. Without naming his cousin, he said nothing should be done to help the “thieves”, apparent reference to the BJP and Shinde-led Sena.
The buzz about rapprochement started after Raj Thackeray said in a podcast interview with film-maker Mahesh Manjrekar – recorded weeks ago but released on Saturday (April 19) – that he had no issues when working with Uddhav in the undivided Shiv Sena. The question is does Uddhav want to work with him, he said.
“For a bigger cause, our fights and issues are trivial. Maharashtra is very big. For Maharashtra, the existence of Marathi manoos (native Marathi-speakers), these fights are very trivial. I don’t think it is a difficult task to come together and stay united. But the issue is of desire,” he said. “It is not the question of my wish or selfishness. We need to look at the larger picture. All Maharashtrians should form one party.”
Later in the day, speaking at a Sena (UBT) event, Uddhav said: “I am also ready to put aside trivial issues and I appeal to everyone to come together for the sake of Marathi manoos.”
Without naming Raj, he said had the latter opposed businesses from Maharashtra going to Gujarat, a government caring for the interests of Maharashtra would have been formed in Delhi and Maharashtra.
“It cannot be that (you) support (BJP during Lok Sabha polls), then oppose (during assembly polls) and again compromise. This cannot happen,” he said. “First decide that whoever works against the interests of Maharashtra will not be welcomed at home, you will not go to their homes and break bread with them. Then talk about the interests of Maharashtra.”
During the Lok Sabha polls, Raj had announced unconditional support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Uddhav further said he was ready to set aside minor disagreements.
“I am saying I don’t have fights with anyone, and if any, I am resolving them. But decide on this first,” he said.
Sandeep Deshpande, MNS spokesperson, struck a discordant note saying his party had a bad experience with Uddhav during the 2014 assembly polls and 2017 civic body polls when there was a chorus of demand that the cousins should reunite.
“I don’t think (Raj) saheb has given any proposal for an alliance after such a bad experience. Now they are asking us not to talk to the BJP. (But) If Prime Minister Narendra Modi were to call Uddhav, he will go running to the BJP,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the two cousins share “ties of blood”. “Raj Thackeray has expressed his opinion. Uddhav ji has responded. Now let’s wait and watch,” he said.
Asked about Uddhav’s demands, he said they were not pre-conditions but feelings of people. “The enemies of Maharashtra should not be entertained. Today’s BJP is the number one enemy of Maharashtra,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)