Raj welcome to Sena but not Rane: Bal Thackeray

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray has extended an olive branch to estranged nephew Raj Thackeray, who had parted ways over a year back to float his own outfit, to return but wanted him to make the first move.

The Sena chief, however, made it clear that it all depended on how his son and Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav and Raj, who formed Maharashtra Navanirmal Sena, resolved issues between them.

In an interview to a newschannel, the senior Thackeray said former Chief Minister Narayan Rane was, however, not welcome back to the party fold.

Asked whether there can be a coming together in future, the Sena chief said "I may think of Raj but Rane....is not welcome."

"I will not try (to get Raj back) but if he wishes to, we will accept him back and not people like Narayan Rane," Thackeray was quoted as saying in the transcript of the interview released by the channel.

Thackeray said he was still in touch with Raj. "Whenever I want to talk to him, he telephones me. What is wrong in that? Let us not mix up politics with relationships," he said.

On why Raj was welcome, Thackeray said "whatever the politics, ours is a blood relation ... you cannot afford to be that cruel actually because of politics. At least, that is not my nature."

Thackeray said the reunion could happen if matters are resolved between cousins Uddhav and Raj. "It all depends upon the youngsters today, how they amicably solve the thing," he said.