Mumbai, March 8 : Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the Tata Group, Friday visited Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray at the latter's Shivaji Park residence, an official said.

An MNS official described the hour-long visit as "a casual, courtesy call" with no agenda behind it.

Tata met Thackeray and his wife Sharmila at their flat in Krishnakunj building in Shivaji Park, Dadar, Friday afternoon.(IANS)

Mumbai/Patna/New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday hailed Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray''s proposal to patch up with his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, founder of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and forge a strong alliance.

BJP leader Gopinath Munde said the MNS and Shiv Sena should join hands.

"BJP wants that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena should join hands, but nothing will work according to our wish. But in the remarks made by Uddhav Thackeray he has clearly indicated that he is in favour of this proposal. And he has never said no to it," he told the media in Mumbai.

New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Delhi High Court Wednesday stayed a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackery on two complaints lodged for alleged hate speeches he made against the people of Bihar.

Justice Sunil Gaur granted the stay on the NBW issued by a trial court for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups.

The application for initiating proceedings against Thackery was made by lawyers Sudhir Kumar Ojha from Bihar and Sudhir Kumar from Jharkhand.

Mumbai, Jan 30 : Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Wednesday hinted that he was open to the possibility of his party joining hands with cousin Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

The clear hint came in an interview to the party mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray's first since his father Balasaheb Thackeray's death Nov 17 last year and after he took over the reins of the party Jan 17.

Responding to a question on whether the cousins could come together, Thackeray said: "You cannot clap with one hand. Tell me, can you?"

Ahmedabad, Sep 19 : Lauding Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his three-day fast for promoting communal harmony, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday said he would support Modi's bid for becoming Prime Minister.

Taking to reporters here, Thackeray said: "I will support Narendra Modi for becoming Prime Minister. This country needs a good governance and a good leader."

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray stated that the Indian Premier League (IPL) should not be banished in spite of the arguments surrounding it.

"Such scams will happen in any field, be it politics or cricket," said Raj, referring to financial misdeeds being investigates in the purchase of IPL dealerships.

He added that many brilliant cricketers have got a chance to showcase their talents on this platform and banning IPL is definitely not the answer.

New Delhi, Jan 8 : The Supreme Court Friday shifted the trial of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray in seven cases for making hate speeches against North Indians from Bihar and Jharkhand to a Delhi court.

A bench of Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan and Justice B. S. Chauhan ordered the transfer of cases against the MNS chief on a lawsuit demanding the relief on the grounds that the seven cases have been registered in various places in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Goregaon(Mumbai), Jan. 7 : A day ahead of release of the controversial film, ‘Zenda’ Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray chose to provoke his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray by advocating the release of controversial Marathi film ‘Zenda’ to the public.

Thackerays seem to be in the limelight again for the tinsel town as another movie based on the Thackeray family feud has found its way into the Bollywood. After Ram Gopal Verma's Sarkaar and Sarkaar Raj the movie is scheduled to be in theatres soon.

Director Avdhoot Gupte's Zenda, which would be released on January 8, would showcase the split of the Shiv Sena. The movie is reportedly inspired by the tussle between Uddhav and his cousin Raj.

Not only Marathis but people from other places are also curious about the film.

Patna, Dec 2 : A Bihar court Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray in connection with a writ petition filed against him for allegedly making "hate speeches" against Biharis.

Muzaffarpur Judicial Magistrate Saheb Kausher asked the Mumbai Police commissioner to present Thackeray before his court Jan 4, 2010.

The court issued the non-bailable warrant following his non-appearance either personally or through a lawyer on various dates fixed earlier.

Sudhir Ojha, a senior advocate, had filed a complaint in the court seeking legal action against Thackeray.

The Mumbai police on Wednesday filed a 73-page chargesheet against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and 20 party activists for violence during the Railway Recruitment Board exams at Chetana College, Bandra, in October last year.

The police have lined up 14 Maharashtrian witnesses — among them supervisors, college staff and police officers —to press the case against Thackeray. There are 32 witnesses in all.

Lucknow, Nov 10 : Accusing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray of practising divisive politics, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Tuesday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to register a treason case against him.

"It was on the directions of (Raj) Thackeray only that the legislators of MNS assaulted our party leader Abu Azmi for taking oath in Hindi. The unruly behaviour reflects Thackeray's divisive politics," Yadav told reporters in Varanasi, some 250 km from Lucknow.

Mumbai, Nov 10 - Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi, who was Monday attacked by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) legislators in the assembly, Tuesday reiterated that Raj Thackeray should be arrested for the assault.

Azmi said he was not satisfied with the suspension of the four MNS legislators who attacked him in the assembly for taking his oath in Hindi instead of Marathi.

He pointed out that since MNS chief Raj Thackeray had "instigated and inspired" the attacks, he should be held responsible for the actions of his party legislators and be arrested immediately.

The Samajwadi Party leader said several experts had told him that the suspension of the legislators for four years could be revoked if the MNS tenders an apology.

MLAs belonging to Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navni-rman Sena (MNS) slapped their Samajwadi Party colleague Abu Azmi in the Assembly on Monday when he insisted on taking his oath of office in Hindi and not Marathi.

Later, four of the MNS’s 13 legislators were suspended for four years for unruly behaviour.

It was the first time the assembly was convened after the assembly election.

Mumbai, Nov 1 : Maharashtra Navanirmana Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday said that all the newly elected legislators (MLAs) of the party to the Maharashtra Government will take their formal oath only in Marathi and no other language.

Addressing a press conference in at Mumbai, Thackeray said: "As per our party''s ethos, all legislators (MLAs) will be taking oath only in Marathi and no other language. In case, our party MLAs are assigned any tasks, they will discharge them satisfactorily."

In Central Mumbai, it was celebration time for both newcomers and veterans.

Of the five constituencies that comprise the region, the Congress retained Dharavi, Sion Koliwada and Wadala. Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) won in Mahim and Sewri, damaging the Shiv Sena badly.

For decades, the Lalbaug-Parel-Dadar-Prabhadevi-Mahim belt — which comprises Mahim and Sewri constituencies — stood by the Sena, but on Thursday that changed.

New Delhi, Oct 13 : The Congress Tuesday ruled out the possibility of any kind of tie-up with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) as Maharashtra voted to elect its new state legislative assembly.

"We don't have any kind of tie-up with Raj Thackeray at present, we didn't have any in the past and won't have any in future as well," Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said.

The Congress will form the government in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), he added.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray who was accused by the saffron alliance of being ‘an agent’ of the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party, on Friday launched an attack on the ruling combine calling their reign an utter failure.

He targeted Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

Mimicking Gandhi’s recent speech in which she accused opposition parties of politicizing Shivaji’s name, Raj said that the Congress was doing just that. “Who is planning to build the statue of Shivaji Maharaj in the sea?” he asked.

Patna, Oct 6 : A Bihar court Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for his failure to turn up in court to respond to charges of having hurt sensibilities of the state's people by his remarks on the Chhath festival.

The court directed the Mumbai police commissioner to arrest and bring Thackeray before the court on Nov 2, an official of the court said.

The arrest order was issued following Thackeray's failure to comply with the court's orders to appear before it to answer the charges against him.(IANS)

The Jinnah of Maharashtra. It’s a slur that is bound to hurt Raj Thackeray (41), and it doesn’t help that it comes from the Shiv Sena, headed by his uncle Balasaheb and cousin Uddhav (49).

As the war between the cousins intensifies, the jibes are getting more offensive.

Wednesday’s edition of Saamna, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, described Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray as the new Mohammad Ali Jinnah, intent on dividing the Marathi people.