Raj Thackeray drives to Matoshree to greet Uddhav on his birthday

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday met cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray to wish him on the latter's 65th birthday.

Raj drove from his residence Shivteerth in Dadar to Matoshree, Uddhav's residence in Bandra.

Flanked by his party MP Sanjay Raut, Uddhav received his cousin at the entrance of the Matoshree bungalow, one of the most recognised landmarks in Mumbai.

Raj presented a large bouquet of red roses to his cousin.

“On the occasion of my elder brother, Shiv Sena chief Mr. Uddhav Thackeray's birthday, I visited Matoshri, the residence of the late Honorable Mr. Balasaheb Thackeray, to extend my best wishes,” Raj posted on X.

He also tagged a photo of the meeting, taken with a portrait of Bal Thackeray, his uncle and Uddhav's father, in the backdrop.

Uddhav told reporters that his happiness “multiplied manifold” after Raj met him. “He came to Matoshree after many years,” Uddhav said.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said no political significance should be attributed to the meeting between the cousins.

“That the two met is a matter of joy. Why should it be viewed from a political angle. He (Raj) went to extend his birthday greetings. Our greetings are also with Uddhav ji,” Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.

At his joint rally with Raj in Mumbai on July 5, Uddhav Thackeray had said he and the MNS chief have “come together to stay together”.

At the “victory” rally, held to celebrate the rollback of the Hindi language GRs (resolutions) by the BJP-led government, the cousins shared a political stage for the first time in almost two decades, on the issue of Marathi identity and “imposition” of the Hindi language.

In July 2012, Raj Thackeray drove Uddhav to Matoshree from Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital, where the latter underwent an angiography.

In January 2019, Raj went to Matoshree and handed over to Uddhav the wedding invitation of his son Amit, who got married later that month.

Raj quit the Shiv Sena in December 2005, claiming that he “sought respect from Matoshree but received humiliation”. He formed the MNS the next year.