Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.
Credit: PTI
While the once-estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray reunited for the Maharashtra local body polls, the MNS chief's prime focus is betterment of Maharashtra and Marathi language.
During an interview with NDTV, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo made it clear that "flexibility in political approach does not mean a compromise on ideology."
He even said that he was willing to support United States President Donald Trump, if it meant Maharashtra would remain strong.
Thackeray talked about his recent reunification with his cousin's party—Shiv Sena (UBT) and said that the welfare of Marathi people, the preservation and growth of the Marathi language, and a strong Maharashtra is what is most important to him.
By using water as an analogy, Thackeray said that if water is required to reach a particular spot, any method can be used, as long as the objective is "clear and pure".
The MNS chief asserted that the alliance is solely centered on Marathi and assuming this would automatically translate into an alliance at state level or Centre is wrong since "it is a completely different issue".
He went on to say that he would have no qualms in supporting someone like Trump if it would benefit the state of Maharashtra. Political labels, he said, matter less than the interests of the state.
Thackeray also questioned the Centre's decision of declaring Marathi a classical language, saying it was doing nothing to support it financially.
"Despite the status, not a single rupee has been allotted for Marathi," he said. A language, he argued, cannot survive or grow without sustained monetary support.
Thackeray said he would continue to take a hard line on Marathi identity even if it meant losing elections.