"All I had asked for was respect. All I got was insult and humiliation," Raj Thackeray said while announcing his separation from Shiv Sena, the party founded by Maharashtra's fierce leader and his uncle Bal Thackarey. One of the major blows that Shive Sena saw was Raj Thackeray's exit in 2005. However, after 20 years, the Thackeray cousins are signalling to leave it all behind and start afresh.
In the 90s, when Bal Thackeray became one of the fiercest and influential political forces in the country, especially in Maharashtra, he was always accompanied by his son, Uddhav Thackeray and nephew Raj Thackeray. Both brothers were quite opposite, while Raj was aggressive and a cartoonist like the Sena chief, Uddhav was more content and an avoider of the limelight.
In the masses, it was always perceived that Raj Thackeray would be Balasaheb's political heir, but when the time came, everything turned upside down.
A death in cinema hall that changed Raj Thackrey's image
On July 23, 1996, Dadar resident Ramesh Kini was found dead at a cinema hall in Pune. A suicide note was found in which he had reportedly mentioned that his lawyer knows the reason behind his suicide. When approached, the lawyer told Kini was being harassed by his landlords, Laxmichand Shah and Suman Shah, to vacate the flat.
Shahs were close to Shiv Sena, and Kini's wife alleged Raj Thackeray's involvement in her husband's death. Thackeray was later given a clean chit by the CBI, but his reputation was tainted.
Shiv Sena gets a new Chief
In 2003, at a Shiv Sena event in Mahabaleshwar, Raj Thackeray named Uddhav Thackeray as the party's working president. While the move was well thought out to pass on a message that everything is fine between the brothers, and there is no power game in the party. But soon, the fallout began, and Raj Thackeray's followers alleged that they were being sidelined.
Adding more to the cards, ideological differences also started between Raj and Uddhav. While Raj Thackeray was criticising north Indian migrants, Uddhav Thackeray launched the 'Me Mumbaikar' campaign to include people from all states who had a sense of belonging to Mumbai. This was a clear contradiction in the ideology.
Raj Thackeray leaves!
On December 18, 2005, 36-year-old Raj Thackeray addressed a press conference at Shivaji Park gymkhana, with a voice filled with emotions, he said, "I wouldn't wish a day such as today even on my worst enemy. All I had asked for was respect. All I got was insult and humiliation." At another press conference at Matoshree, the Thackeray residence at Mumbai's Bandra, Raj's cousin Uddhav, addressed the media and said, "Raj's decision is the outcome of a misunderstanding."
In 2006, Raj Thackeray launched the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.