Smita: I’ll join Sena the day Saheb asks me

MUMBAI: A nod from "Saheb" - that is what Smita Thackeray, high-profile bahu of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, is waiting for to join politics.

Smita is touted as an able administrator. She has handled social work (through the Mukti Foundation, which works with AIDS patients) and run an entertainment business. That is why her absence from the Sena has been an enigma.

"I am waiting for Balasaheb to allow me to be in the Shiv Sena actively," Smita told DNA. Given the chance she is keen to take the plunge. "I will not sit at home and compromise. I will handle party cadre when the time comes," she said.

Smita, who has been divorced from Thackeray's estranged second son Jaidev, said the current Raj vs Uddhav battle is painful to all, especially the Sena chief. "But he does not show it," she said. "As of now I'm a mere spectator watching so many people flocking to our house. Maybe there is something in Saheb's mind that none of us knows about."

Smita said she knew both Raj and Uddhav well and never dreamt that they would fall out. "There are people who will benefit a lot from this battle," she said.

But even if Thackeray thinks his daughter-in-law needs more experience and maturity, other political parties consider her capable enough and are queuing up at Matoshree, the Thackeray residence, with offers. "I have received some offers recently," she said, but affirmed that she will only enter politics with the Sena.

"Saheb was not sure when I was selected chairperson of IMPPA (Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association) whether I will be able to shoulder the responsibility. But I proved him wrong. Not only was I successful, I was also mature in dealing with people who were older and more experienced," she said. But until she gets the nod, she will focus on her anti-AIDS campaign, she told DNA.