Raj Thackeray launches own political party

Mumbai: Three months after breaking away from the Shiv Sena, Raj Thackeray announced the formation of his own party called the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) yesterday.

A three-month tour by the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, to gauge the people's response, has been encouraging, according to his supporters. Both young people and professionals reached out to him.

"I had not undertaken the tour without any expectations. I wanted to know if there are people with me in the task I have undertaken." He added that some had ridiculed his announcement of forming a new party. "They thought I would finally return to the Shiv Sena and patch up."

Sitting in front of his new party flag, which has all the colours of the Indian national flag, Raj Thackeray surprisingly did not want to reveal much though he had called a press conference at the Y.B. Chavan Centre at Nariman Point.

The man who wants to rebuild Maharashtra says his plans to unveil his party's policies, its stance on Hindutva and his agenda for the state's development, will be told at a rally on March 19.

Raj had earlier worshipped at the Siddhivinayak Temple to seek blessings for his new party. When he was asked whether he had also gone to meet his uncle Bal Thackeray, whom he had earlier referred to as Vittal, a Hindu deity, he merely replied it was a personal matter. He also paid obeisance to a statue of Maratha king Shivaji.