MUMBAI: In a rare political overture that has shaken Maharashtra’s power corridors, a potential thaw between estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray has unsettled Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, while prompting cautious responses from the BJP.Maharashtra CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said his party would welcome any decision by the Thackeray cousins to come together, but downplayed the significance of the development.“It is their decision, so we welcome it. We do not feel bad about it. The media is blowing this issue out of proportion by giving too much importance to this reunion talk. The media is reading too much into it. We should wait and watch,” Fadnavis said.He added that he would not comment further as the issue between the cousins had no relevance to him.“One brother (Raj Thackeray) is giving an offer while the other (Uddhav Thackeray) is accepting the offer but putting the conditions. They are reacting to each other, where I have no role to play, so what comment should I offer?” Fadnavis asked.Mumbai BJP president and state minister Ashish Shelar said his personal association with Raj Thackeray had ended. “If two brothers want to come together, what comments will I offer? The reunion is their personal decision and choice. Let them take the decision,” he said.Meanwhile, Deputy CM Shinde refused to comment and appeared visibly irritated when asked about the reunion. He told reporters to focus on governance-related matters instead.Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam claimed that even if both Thackerays reunited, Uddhav would never allow Raj to grow politically. He said earlier they tried several times, but Uddhav never responded positively. “It was our mistake to accept Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership at the time. We should have chosen Raj Thackeray instead. Had he been president, there wouldn’t have been two Shiv Senas and one MNS today. Raj is a very good person and open to everything. He never hides things. He is like a tiger,” Kadam said.NCP MP and MVA ally Supriya Sule welcomed the development and said Bal Thackeray would have been pleased. “Thackeray and Pawar family have shared close ties for several decades. We share a very close bond. If both the brothers are really coming together, then it is very good news for Marathi manoos and Maharashtra as well because… it is time to fight for the state,” she said.Speculation over a possible reconciliation between Uddhav and Raj Thackeray intensified after Raj said in a podcast interview with film-maker Mahesh Manjrekar — recorded weeks earlier but released on Saturday — that he had no objections to working with Uddhav, recalling their time together in the undivided Shiv Sena. “The question is, does Uddhav want to work with me?” he said.The remarks, along with parallel statements from both leaders, fuelled talk of a political rapprochement nearly two decades after their split. Raj, who heads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), said coming together in the interest of the “Marathi manoos” was not difficult.Uddhav, leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, said he was willing to move past “trivial issues” — as long as those acting against Maharashtra’s interests were not welcomed.
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