New Delhi: On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, expressed his thoughts on the occasion of Balasaheb Thackeray’s 12th death anniversary, the patriarch of the right-wing pro-Marathi and Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena. His remembrance is significant as it reflects the respect and influence Thackeray had in Indian politics.
Taking to X, the parliamentarian from Raebareli (UP) posted: “Remembering Balasaheb Thackeray ji on his 12th death anniversary. My thoughts are with Uddhav Thackeray ji, Aditya and the entire Shiv Sena family.”
Bal Keshav Thackeray, fondly known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was not just a cartoonist but a political luminary who laid the foundation of the original Shiv Sena.
Balasaheb was one of the most dominant Marathi leaders of the post-independence era and ruled the Indian political scene for almost six decades. Respected and loved by millions, he was endearingly addressed as ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’ and ‘Tiger’.
In his early professional days, Thackeray was a cartoonist for the Bombay-based English daily, The Free Press Journal. He quit in 1960 to establish his own political weekly, Marmik.
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His political outlook was largely influenced by his father, Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, a leading figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) movement. This movement advocated the creation of a separate linguistic state for Marathi speakers, a cause that deeply influenced Thackeray’s political career.
Bal Thackeray campaigned against the growing influence of non-Marathis in Mumbai through Marmik.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Thackeray built Shiv Sena and founded the Marathi-language newspaper Saamana.
After the riots in the early 1990s, Thackeray and his party took a Hindutva stance. In 1999, he was banned from voting and contesting in any election for six years for seeking votes in the name of religion, a controversial move that sparked debates about the role of religion in Indian politics.
Thackeray did not hold any official positions, as he was never formally elected as the leader of his party.
His son, Uddhav Bal Thackeray, served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He also took over the leadership of Shiv Sena and Saamana as its Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2019.
A member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Uddhav Thackeray is the president of both Maha Vikas Aghadi and Shiv Sena (UBT). Aaditya, son of Uddhav Thackeray and grandson of Balasaheb Thackeray, is President of Yuva Sena, a youth wing of Shiv Sena.
Aaditya Thackeray, an MLA from Worli, Mumbai, has served as the government of Maharashtra’s Cabinet Minister of Higher Education and Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment.
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–IANS
