Raj Thackeray visits BJP office, Shiv Sena fumes

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray today paid a surprise visit to BJP office here in Mumbai and met its state President Sudhir Mungantiwar, angering Shiv Sena which threatened to boycott an NDA rally in Delhi on Wednesday if its ally failed to explain its stand on the meeting.

After inaugurating a party office in LIC building, Thackeray, the estranged nephew of Sena chief Bal Thackeray, went to the BJP office nearby, taking everyone by surprise.

He was welcomed by Mungantiwar and other BJP leaders including Vinod Tawade, Madhu Chavan and Madhav Bhandari. The informal meeting lasted for about 20 minutes, which is considered significant in political circles given that the civic polls in the metropolis are due in early 2012.

Mungantiwar, however, maintained that "it was not a political meet but an informal one. He (Raj) came as a guest and we just had tea."

Asked how BJP would explain to Shiv Sena the meeting with the MNS chief, Mungantiwar said "he (Thackeray) is not their enemy, he is (Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray's) brother."

During the last assembly polls, Mungantiwar had called Raj "a test tube baby of NCP leader Sharad Pawar" for eating into BJP votes.

Asked about his remarks, Mungantiwar said he still held the same view. Thackeray's visit came in the backdrop of a faceoff between Shiv Sena and MNS activists at the nearby LIC office where hundreds of activists from both the parties shouted slogans, leading to tension in the area.

Taking umbrage at Maharashtra BJP leaders meeting Raj Thackeray, Shiv Sena has asked its ally to clarify its stand failing which it would boycott NDA's rally in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray asked BJP to clarify its stand on today's meeting with MNS chief otherwise Sena would not participate in the rally, a senior Sena leader said.

Bal Thackeray is also upset over the meeting between the BJP leaders and Raj Thackeray and he may take up the issue with BJP veteran LK Advani, he said.

The BJP, however, downplayed the meeting, saying nothing much should be read in Raj's visit to the party office in south Mumbai.

"Raj Thackeray was in the vicinity of the BJP office and dropped in for a cup of tea. This does not mean that new political equations are in offing," Sudhir Mungantiwar said.