'Maharashtra Tiger' is No More!

Bal Keshav Thackeray is known as a fiery right wing leader of Maharashtra.

A cartoonist by profession, Thackeray formed Shiv Sena' that espoused the cause of Maratha interest and Marathi language.

After a long struggle, Thackeray's Shiv Sena, in alliance with BJP, succeeded in snatching power from Congress in 1995. The Shiv Sena BJP government ruled Maharashtra from 1995 99.

Bal thackeray's nephew Raj Thackeray used to be his lieutenant not very long ago but he parted ways with Bal Thackeray when the senior Thackeray decided to anoint his son Uddhav as the second in command of Shiv Sena. Today, Raj is heading his own party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

In his early days, Bal Thackeray targeted Gujaratis, Marwaris, and southern Indians in Mumbai for grabbing jobs and depriving native Mumbaikars of their livelihood.

Thackeray family has played an important in Maharashtra Politics right from the days of separate statehood movement.

After that he championed the cause of aggressive Hindutva and targeted Muslims for their alleged anti Hindu mindset. Recently, his party targeted North Indians, especially those belonging to UP and Bihar, for infiltrating Mumbai and snatching jobs from the natives.

Chief minister Morarji Desai, Bombay Congress chief SK Patil and senior leader Yashwantrao Chavan were his pet targets. His focus shifted to Desai after 15 people were killed in the police firing on November 21, 1955, during a morcha at the Flora Fountain (now Hutatma Chowk). Balasaheb sketched Desai as a Nar Bhakshak (maneater) in his cartoon.

It was his dream that his youngest son Uddhav Thackeray, becomes the executive president of Shiv Sena and succeed Bal Thackeray as and when he calls it a day.