Raj Thackeray may take over Shiv Sena (UBT) if he joins hands with Uddhav, claims Narayan Rane

Union Minister Narayan Rane on Wednesday virtually ruled out the potential alliance between the estranged Thackeray cousins, claiming such a scenario would render Uddhav politically irrelevant with Raj Thackeray replacing him as the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader.

The Thackeray cousins are ''hosting'' a ''victory rally'' on July 5 after the BJP-led Maharashtra government on Sunday scrapped two GRs on the introduction of the Hindi language in primary schools amid the mounting backlash against the three-language policy.

''Uddhav will not invite him (Raj Thackeray for alliance). Because if Raj joined hands with Uddhav, he would become the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Uddhav would be reduced to a non-entity. Raj Thackeray will never join Sena (UBT) because taking such a step would erase his current identity,'' the BJP MP told reporters on the premises of Vidhan Bhavan here.

Rane, a former Shiv Sainik, said whether Raj wants to join hands with Uddhav or not is their personal matter and a family issue. ''We (BJP) cannot guide them''.

He dismissed Uddhav's reported remarks that the BJP was growing uncomfortable with the reconciliation between the two cousins, almost 20 years after Raj quit the Shiv Sena and formed MNS.

''Why only two brothers? Take all the brothers. We don't mind. Today, BJP and its allies have 235 MLAs,'' he said.

Rane accused Uddhav of ''squandering'' the political legacy of his father and Shiv Sena founder the late Bal Thackeray.

''What Balasaheb achieved in 48 years was destroyed by Uddhav in just two-and-a-half years. The original Shiv Sena belongs to (Deputy CM) Eknath Shinde,'' he said.

He accused Uddhav of doing only lip service to the cause of the Marathi people and questioned his ''sudden concern'' for the Marathi pride.

''Your children went to English-medium schools. Who was admitted to the Bombay Scottish School?'' Rane said, adding that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had rightly pointed this out.

''In 1960, the population of Marathi people in Mumbai was 60 per cent, which has been shrunk to just 18 per cent. What did you do for the Marathi manoos? What was achieved in the name of justice for them? For two and a half years, Uddhav was in power, but he visited the Mantralaya only twice,'' he claimed.

Rane also accused Uddhav of failing to provide jobs to Marathi youths.

''The Shiv Sena was supported and strengthened by the Marathi people. But this strong base of loyalists was only used for the political survival (of the Thackeray family). And now these people (Uddhav) are celebrating Marathi language festivals. Uddhav has no right to speak on behalf of Marathi people or on Hindutva,'' he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)