Raj Shrikant Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation:
">�aːd͡ʒ ʈʰaːkɾeː born Swararaj Shrikant Thackeray; 14 June 1968) is an maharashtra politician and the founding chairperson of
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional political party. He is the nephew of
Balasaheb Thackeray.
Early life
Raj Thackeray's given name is a
hypocorism
A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for Isabel or ''Bob (given name), Bob'' fo ...
of Swararaj. His parents were Shrikant Thackeray (younger brother of
Bal Thackeray) and Kunda Thackeray (younger sister of Bal Thackeray's wife Meena Thackeray). As a child he learnt tabla, guitar and violin.
Thackeray is a 10th standard graduate and a dropout of Mumbai's
Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art. He finished 10th standard in 1983 and joined ''Marmik'', the weekly magazine of Bal Thackeray, as a cartoonist in 1985 he is a cartoonist.
[MNS official website](_blank)
Accessed October 2011.
Political career
Early years in Shiv Sena
Thackeray started his political career by launching the student wing of
Shiv Sena called Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena. He came to prominence during the campaign for 1990 Maharashtra
assembly elections. During the 1990s Raj believed himself to be heir of his uncle,
Balasaheb. However, Balasaheb showed strong preference for his own son,
Uddhav Thackeray.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
Years after being sidelined by Bal Thackeray's other leaders working for him, Raj Thackeray resigned from
Shiv Sena on 27 November 2005 and announced his intention to start a new political party. On 9 March 2006 in Mumbai, Thackeray founded
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
Controversies
2008 Anti-North Indian campaign
In February 2008, Raj Thackeray led a
violent movement
against migrants from the
North Indian states of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
and
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
and more so in its commercial capital,
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
.
At a rally in Shivaji Park, Raj warned that if the ''dadagiri'' (intimidating dominance) of these people (North Indians) in Mumbai and Maharashtra continued, he would be compelled to make them leave the metropolis.
Raj was arrested along with a
Samajwadi Party
The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...
leader, Abu Azmi, but was released on paying a penalty of .
Australian ban
His party, along with Shiv Sena banned
Australian cricketers participating in
IPL 3 from playing in Mumbai as a protest against the attack on Indian students in Australia.
Business signboards in Marathi
In July 2008, Raj issued a public warning that shops in Mumbai needed to have Marathi signboards in addition to the existing English signboards. He warned that after one month, MNS workers would start blackening non-Marathi signboards. While there had been a law passed for this earlier by
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, it had not been enforced. In September 2008, MNS workers attacked shops and blackened signboards, to enforce the demand, after which most shop owners complied and installed Marathi signboards. Six MNS workers were arrested but later released on bail.
Jaya Bachchan
Jaya Bachchan
Jaya Bachchan (''née'' Bhaduri; born 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician.
She is regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Hindi cinema. She is serving as member of the parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party ...
, actor and MP of
Samajwadi Party
The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...
, during the music launch of the
Hindi film ''
Drona'', said, "हम यूपी के लोग हैं, इसलिए हिन्दी में बात करेंगे, महाराष्ट्र के लोग मा'फ़ कीजिए।"
ISO 15919">ISO
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
Me ...
: H''ama Yūpī Kē Lōga Haiṃ, Isaliē Hindī Mēṃ Bāta Karēṃgē, Mahārāṣṭra Kē Lōga Mā'af Kījiē.''] (We are people of UP (
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
), so we will speak in
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
. People of Maharashtra, please excuse). Thackeray commented that she had no business alluding to all the people of Maharashtra in that statement. He threatened to ban all Bachchan films unless Jaya apologised in a public forum for hurting Maharashtrians. MNS workers began to attack theatres featuring films affiliated to her. It was only after Amitabh tendered an apology that the screening resumed. Following Raj's threat, Maharashtra Police acted against Raj, issuing a gag order preventing him from speaking to the media.
Jet airways staff reinstatement
In October 2008,
Jet Airways laid off 800 temporary workers and announced layoffs of an additional 1100 workers. The laid-off workers included Marathi as well as North-Indians. Thackeray was asked to intervene. Following this, Raj Thackeray declared that most of these workers had paid security deposits to the company, and he would meet Jet management to plead their case. Unless Jet Airways cancelled the layoffs, his party would not allow any Jet Airways plane to take off from any airport in Maharashtra. Within 12 hours of Raj Thackeray's declaration, Jet chairman
Naresh Goyal reversed the layoffs and reinstated the sacked employees. He said that he did it on his own and that there was no political pressure on him.
Wake Up Sid Controversy
On 2 October 2009, MNS workers disrupted the screening of the film ''
Wake Up Sid'' on its release in a few Pune and Mumbai theatres, after Raj objected to references in the movie to "Bombay" rather than "Mumbai". The city of Mumbai was referred to as "Bombay" in many scenes and in some songs (lyrics by
Javed Akhtar).
The film's producer,
Karan Johar
Karan Yash Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo, is an Indian filmmaker, producer and television personality who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several successful ac ...
, visited Raj's residence to apologise, and agreed to all of Raj's terms, including an apology on each of the 700 frames in the film.
Telecom Services in Marathi
Telecom companies in Maharashtra had been providing customer service in English & Hindi only. Raj demanded that all telecom companies operating in Maharashtra start providing the service in Marathi also and set a deadline of 27 February 2010, after which his party MNS would launch an agitation. Following this demand, all telecom companies complied, introducing Marathi as an additional option in their customer service.
Merger of Belgaum in Maharastra
In December 2011, Raj Thackeray meeting a group from MES (Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti) advised them that they should revisit their stand of merging
Belgaum
Belgaum (Kannada ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma'', ), officially known as Belagavi (also Belgaon), is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located near its northern western border in the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters ...
with Maharashtra in the interest of Marathi speaking people of Belgaum. In a major departure from the earlier held stand of traditional right-wing groups of Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray pointed out that a practical approach rather than an emotional one is the need of the hour. However, he advocated that if the
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...
itself gives a decision in favour of Belgaum's merger, he would welcome it but the local situation in Belgaum should not be vitiated for the sake of it. He asked the MES leaders to first identify the real issue as to whether Marathis in Belgaum are being targeted for espousing the cause of
Marathi language
Marathi (; , 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, , ) is a Classical languages of India, classical Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra and is also spoken in Goa, and parts of Guj ...
or because they were supporting the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra. Lamenting that strikes and bandhs only add to the misery of the Marathi-speaking community in Belgaum, Thackeray said: "If the Karnataka government is ready to respect the Marathi people, their culture and language, then there is nothing wrong in Belgaum being there." His comments were strongly criticised by his cousin
Uddhav as a cruel joke on the Marathi people.
Views
Raj Thackeray and his party,
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, state that
Maharashtra State,
Marathi language
Marathi (; , 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, , ) is a Classical languages of India, classical Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra and is also spoken in Goa, and parts of Guj ...
and
Marathi ''Manoos'' are subverted by the influence of Marathi politicians. He has opposed migration into Maharashtra from
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
and
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
.
["Do political movements need to obey the law? What about Advani rath yatra, Modi’s Godhra outrage?"](_blank)
''ExpressIndia.com''. Retrieved 25 October 2011
Raj reproached North Indian leaders for politicising
Chhath Puja, a festival popular in eastern
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
,
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
, and
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
calling it a "drama" and a "show of numerical strength". He stated that the Chhath Puja was a political gimmick by some parties to attract the north Indian vote.
A
petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication.
In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...
was filed in the Patna civil court on 8 February against him for his remarks. His statements were criticised from political leaders, especially those from the North Indian states.
He accused migrants of swamping Maharashtra, India's most industrialised state, in search of jobs. The MNS chief also accused migrants of disrespecting the local culture. In 2008, expressing his stance on new migrants settling in Mumbai, Raj said, "New immigrants to the city should be denied entry into the city, while those already staying here should show respect to the Marathi 'manoos' and his culture".
Thackeray and his party have been criticised for use of violence during their agitations, especially directed towards immigrants from UP and Bihar. On use of violence, Thackeray says that violence is a part of all agitations in Indian politics, and there are several cases of much more violence carried out by other parties and organisations. According to him, the incidents of violence involving members of his party have been unduly highlighted by North Indian politicians and journalists.
Thackeray had initially praised former
Chief Minister of Gujarat and incumbent
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
,
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
for his governance, and the development of
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
during his tenure as chief minister. He had also expressed support for Modi for the post
of Prime Minister for the
2014 Lok Sabha election. Although later on, he regretted his support for Modi and since then has been a vocal critic of him and the NDA government. For the
2019 elections to the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, did not contest any seats, and instead Thackeray urged the party supporters to vote for the
NCP–
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
alliance, with Thackeray campaigning for candidates belonging to these parties. However, during the
2024 elections, Thackeray changed his stance and reaffirmed his support for Narendra Modi and the NDA, after dismal governance of the
Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, the divisive politics played by
INDI Alliance, and citing the NDA's work from on
removing article 370,
criminalizing triple talaq,
construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, and the
COVID-19 vaccination in India.
Thackeray-led MNS criticised the centre's move to award the
Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, to
Adnan Sami, claiming that Sami was not an original Indian citizen.
While appearing on primetime TV show
Aap Ki Adalat in April 2014, Thackeray targeted several political leaders on various matters. He criticized
Ajit Pawar for his comment on urinating into a dam when asked about resolving water crisis, and heavily slammed
Samajwadi Party
The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...
leaders
Abu Azmi and
Mulayam Singh Yadav for their anti-women views after making insensitive comments about rape.
Thackeray called for a ban on loudspeakers in Masjid.
Personal life
Thackeray is married to Sharmila Wagh, daughter of photographer, producer-director Mohan Wagh. They got married on 11 December 1990 in India. They have a son, Amit and a daughter, Urvashi .
See also
* ''
Zenda'', 2010 Marathi-language film
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thackeray, Raj
Living people
Marathi people
Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena politicians
1968 births
Indian political party founders
Indian far-right politicians
Bal Thackeray
Anti-Bihari sentiment
Indian Hindus
Thackeray family