- विज्ञापन -
On November 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Balasaheb Thackeray on the 12th anniversary of his death. In a message shared on X, he described Thackeray as a “great” leader and visionary who advocated for Maharashtra’s development and the empowerment of the Marathi community. Modi noted Thackeray’s strong belief in promoting Indian culture and how his boldness continues to inspire new generations.
Bal Keshav Thackeray, known popularly as Balasaheb Thackeray, was a cartoonist and politician who founded the original Shiv Sena party. He began his career working as a cartoonist for The Free Press Journal in Bombay before leaving the role in 1960 to launch his own political weekly, ‘Marmik’. His political views were shaped by his father, Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, a prominent figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, which sought to establish a separate state for Marathi speakers.
Through ‘Marmik’, Thackeray campaigned against the increasing dominance of non-Marathis in Mumbai. In the 1960s and 70s, he established the Shiv Sena and later founded the Marathi-language newspaper ‘Saamana’. Following the riots in the early 1990s, Thackeray adopted a Hindutva stance. In 1999, he was barred from voting or running for office for six years due to election violations involving religion.
Although he never officially held a party leadership position, his son Uddhav Bal Thackeray served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022 and became the head of Shiv Sena and ‘Saamana’ from 2006 to 2019. Uddhav Thackeray has been a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council since 2020 and is the president of both Maha Vikas Aghadi and Shiv Sena (UBT).
