Shiv Sena holds Mumbai, Maharashtra together, says Uddhav Thackeray

Asserting his commitment on keeping Mumbai a part of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said nobody has the "courage" to separate the city from the state.

"If there had been no Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Mumbai would not have been a part of Maharashtra. The state would have been broken apart long back. But today, nobody has the courage to take away the city from the state," he said, addressing a gathering here on the sidelines of the launch of a Marathi film 'BalKadu'.

Thackeray said that his party is a "thought" that is embedded in the minds of people, and without which the state would become unstable.

"What will happen to Maharashtra without Shiv Sena? If there is no Sena, the state will become unstable. People of the state have to stay together and hold the saffron flag high," Thackeray said.