NEW DELHI: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray visited Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray at his residence, Matoshree, on Sunday to extend birthday greetings.
Sharing visuals from the meeting, Shiv Sena (UBT) posted on X, “Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Rajsaheb Thackeray extended birthday greetings to party chief Uddhavsaheb Thackeray.”
Raj Thackeray last stepped into the Matoshree residence in 2012 at the time of Balasaheb Thackeray's death.
Image Credit: Shiv Sena (UBT)/ X
The meeting comes weeks after the two leaders shared the stage at a joint rally on July 5, marking a rare moment of public unity.
At the ‘Awaz Marathicha’ rally held at Worli Dome in Mumbai, the Thackeray cousins had embraced on stage after the Maharashtra government rolled back two Government Resolutions (GRs) proposing the inclusion of Hindi as a third language in schools.
Addressing the crowd at the rally, Uddhav Thackeray had said, “We have come together to stay together.”
Sunday also marked Uddhav Thackeray’s 65th birthday, drawing greetings from INDIA bloc allies.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi wrote on X, “Heartfelt birthday wishes and congratulations to Shiv Sena President and INDIA alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray ji. May you stay healthy, live long, and together we will fight for the interests and rights of the people of Maharashtra.”
Also read: Rahul Gandhi greets INDIA bloc ally Uddhav Thackeray; vows to 'protect' Maharashtra's rights Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin also extended wishes and praised Thackeray’s stand on linguistic identity.
When Raj visited in 2012
The Uddhav-Raj emotional reunion at Lilavati Hospital in 2012 marked a watershed moment in the zig-zag trajectory of the Thackeray dynasty, political observers had said at the time, according to a
TOI article. MNS chief Raj Thackeray had rushed from Alibaug—where he was scheduled to preside over an MNS workshop for corporators—to be by the side of Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, who was undergoing angioplasty at the suburban hospital.
Later that evening, Raj had driven Uddhav home in his Mercedes and entered Balasaheb Thackeray's Bandra residence, Matoshree.
He reportedly spent nearly 30 minutes inside, marking his first visit since the family’s internal rift.
“The two cousins met like brothers in the true Thackeray spirit,” a close relative who was present at the hospital had said.
Uddhav's wife Rashmi, Raj's wife Sharmila, and Raj's mother Kunda—who is also Uddhav’s maternal aunt—were present in the VIP suite. The scene had briefly blurred the political divide in the Thackeray clan and presented a picture of family bonding.
Raj had earlier walked out of Matoshree in December 2005, upset over Uddhav’s rising influence in the party.
Just three months later, he launched the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and addressed his first public meeting at Shivaji Park, the same venue from where Balasaheb Thackeray had launched the Sena in 1966.
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