Thackeray Sr joins Sena-MNS war of words

The love-hate relationship between the Shiv Sena and its off-shoot, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), surfaced again on Tuesday.

The love-hate relationship between the Shiv Sena and its off-shoot, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), surfaced again on Tuesday.

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Sena chief Bal Thackeray reprimanding his nephew and MNS chief, Raj Thackeray, without naming him for criticising the Sena’s blood donation drive organised to mark the golden jubilee of Maharashtra.

“Blood donation is real social work, and Shiv Sena has always believed that social work comes before electoral politics,” Thackeray said in an editorial in his party mouthpiece Saamna on Tuesday.

The MNS chief had on Sunday criticised Sena’s blood donation camp saying, “Some parties were interested in taking people’s blood rather than providing them with water.”

Thackeray, in turn, ridiculed the MNS’s Maharashtrian food festival.

“What would be a better homage [to martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement] than organising a blood donation camp? It is better to have blood donation camps rather than just eating,” said the editorial.

Sena leader Ramdas Kadam also accused Raj Thackeray of not doing anything creative for Maharashtra’s golden jubilee celebrations.