Thackeray not just a brand, it is Maharashtra's identity, says Uddhav

Thackeray is not just a brand, but an identity of Maharashtra, Marathi manoos and Hindu pride, but some people are trying to finish it off, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has said.

In an interview with the Sena UBT's mouthpiece "Saamana", the former chief minister hit out at the Election Commission, saying it can freeze his party's symbol or give it to someone else, but it has no right to give away the party name coined by his grandfather Keshav Thackeray and father, founder Bal Thackeray.

"Our deep roots in the Marathi soil go back several generations. The ties with Marathi manoos are strong since the time of my grandfather and Shiv Sena pramukh (Bal Thackeray). Now, I am there, Aaditya (Thackeray) is there, and even (MNS chief) Raj has come," he said.

Thackeray means constant struggle, he asserted, in the first part of the interview with party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut published on Saturday.

Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, have been using the phrase "Thackeray brand" to put up a united front.

"Thackeray is not just a brand. It is the identity of Marathi manoos, Maharashtra and Hindu pride. Some people have tried to erase this identity. Many came to do this and they perished," the Sena (UBT) chief said in a veiled jibe at the BJP.

Uddhav Thackeray has been accusing the BJP of trying to finish his party and has blamed it for engineering a split in the Shiv Sena in 2022.

"Some people are trying to finish the Thackeray brand because they do not want anyone other than themselves (to be in power)," he said in the interview.

The Shiv Sena split in June 2022 after Eknath Shinde and 39 party MLAs rebelled against its leadership, leading to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government helmed by Uddhav Thackeray. Shinde then joined hands with the BJP to form a government and became the chief minister.

"Those who have not created anything, or set an example in any field, despite completing 100 years, have started stealing the (Thackeray) brand," he said, in a barb at the BJP and RSS.

Taking a potshot at the Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray said anything can be stolen, but how can a name be stolen?  "You can steal a party's symbol. But how can you steal the love and trust people have for the family?" Thackeray said.

He further slammed the Election Commission, saying it cannot take away his party's symbol because, according to the Constitution, his party has done no wrong.

The Election Commission has recognised the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena and granted it permission to use the bow and arrow symbol, while the Thackeray-led camp has allotted the name of Shiv Sena (UBT) and mashaal' (flaming torch) as its symbol.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court set August 11 to hear a plea of the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) against the Maharashtra assembly speaker's decision to give the "bow and arrow" party symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.