Maharashtra: 'Shiv Sena (UBT) Ready To Join Hands With Raj Thackeray's MNS 'Dil Se, Manase' For Marathi Cause,' Says Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said their party is positive about an alliance with the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the “sake of Marathi people”.

Estranged cousins Raj and Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray last month sparked speculation about a possible reconciliation with statements indicating they could ignore “trivial issues” and join hands in the larger interest of “Marathi manoos” (Marathi-speaking people), nearly two decades after a bitter parting of ways.

Raut said Sena (UBT) has a positive approach towards an alliance with MNS, which is pronounced ‘Manase’ in Marathi, while attempting to make a wordplay with the party's name.

“Uddhavji’s stand regarding an alliance with Raj Thackeray for the sake of the Marathi people is 'manase' and 'dil se' (from the mind and the heart),” Raut told reporters here.

Local body elections in Maharashtra, including for civic corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Nagpur and Pune, are slated to be held later this year.

Earlier, senior MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said on Thursday that Raj Thackeray would consider an alliance with the Sena (UBT) only if a concrete proposal is put forward, noting their previous overtures for a tie-up were met with “betrayal”.

“If the Shiv Sena (UBT) feels an alliance with the MNS is possible, they should come forward with a substantial proposal. Raj Thackeray will take a decision on it,” he maintained.

Deshpande recalled past instances when the MNS had initiated tie-up talks, but faced what he called “betrayal”.

The buzz over a rapprochement between the two Thackerays has dominated the state politics for a while now. Raj last month spoke about it in an interview with filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, while Uddhav responded positively within hours of the comment.

Raj Thackeray quit the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005 and floated his own party the next year. In the past, he has allied with the BJP, a bitter rival of the Shiv Sena (UBT).

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