Shiv Sena executive president, who now effectively manages the party, is a politician while his father Bal Thackeray was more like a social leader, says Sena leader Manohar Joshi.
The former Maharashtra Chief Minister expressed these views at his central Mumbai office in an interview to PTI.
Asked about similarity between Bal and Uddhav Thackeray, Joshi, who has been with him from the time he launched the saffron outfit 42 years ago, said, "They both attract large crowds. Balasaheb mostly concentrated on urban areas whereas Uddhav has reached rural zones."
As a public speaker, Balasaheb used to be firebrand and staunch, whereas I find Uddhav a little sober, Joshi said.
"Uddhav is a politician. Balasaheb was basically a social worker. Rather I would say a social leader. Balasaheb was very straight forward while Uddhav is a diplomatic person," Joshi, who is known as one of the most diplomatic politicians in the state, said.
Asked if the Sena chief's nephew Raj Thackeray has taken away the Sena agenda, Joshi, whose son Umesh is Raj Thackeray's business partner, said, "Not at all, Raj has not dented popularity of Shiv Sena."
Raj is following the same agenda the Shiv Sena did in 1966-67. But there is a difference. Sena was of the opinion that preference should be given to Maharashtrians during recruitment for local jobs but it did not say that non-Maharastrians should be physically driven away from the state.
{{/usCountry}}Raj is following the same agenda the Shiv Sena did in 1966-67. But there is a difference. Sena was of the opinion that preference should be given to Maharashtrians during recruitment for local jobs but it did not say that non-Maharastrians should be physically driven away from the state.
{{/usCountry}}