I did not appoint Uddhav as Sena working president, says Raj

"I have always believed there is only one Shiv Sena pramukh. It is your party, and you had the powers to take any decision. How is it possible, you were not aware about such a major decision," Raj asked referring to the Sena supremo's Dussehra rally remarks.
Raj said the Sena chief always wanted to name Uddhav as the working president.
"The decision was not taken in Mahableshwar, but long time ago. Balasaheb felt I could be a hurdle and hence I told him that I would announce the decision myself," Raj said.
"Let's assume hypothetically that I took the decision to make Uddhav the working president. Balasaheb should answer one question, whether my choice was right or wrong.

"If it was wrong, then why is this man (Uddhav) still continuing in the same post and if it was right then he should reply how this one was right while rest of my decisions were wrong," the MNS chief said at a rally in neighbouring Dombivali for the October 31 Kalyan-Dombivali municipal corporation (KDMC) polls.

Commenting on Sena chief's allegation that Raj copied him, Raj said, "I have never denied his influence on me." Raj said the "style" came naturally to him as he has been accompanying his uncle to political meetings since very young age.
"It is only me who used to accompany him at political meetings since young age," Raj said.

Hitting out at Sena-BJP for neglecting the twin cities for the last 15 years, Raj wondered if RSS stalwarts like Balasaheb Deoras, Gowalkar and Hedgewar would approve of the kind of BJP corporators in KDMC.

Reiterating his Maharashtra-for-Marathi agenda, Raj read out an article of Booker prize winner Arvind Adiga's article in a leading English daily saying that it outlined the same issue he has been espousing.

"When I speak that Marathi should be respected in Maharashtra, I am booked in 95 cases and am charged in divisiveness. But, I do not care about it," he said.

Referring to the Sena's signature campaign against AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi's comments that Biharis have contributed in Maharashtra's development, Raj wondered why he was not supported when he had raised the same issue.
"Sena has woken up now after realising how Marathi speaking people unite to exercise the franchise and support MNS," he added.