New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, shared his thoughts on the occasion of the 12th death anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray, the patriarch of right-wing pro-Marathi and Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena.

The Prime Minister took to X and expressed: “I pay homage to the great Balasaheb Thackeray Ji on his Punya Tithi. He was a visionary who championed the cause of Maharashtra’s development and the empowerment of Marathi people.”

“He was a firm believer in enhancing the pride of Indian culture and ethos. His bold voice and unwavering spirit continue to inspire generations,” PM Modi added.

Bal Keshav Thackeray, popularly known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was a cartoonist and a politician who founded the original Shiv Sena.

In his early professional days, Thackeray was a cartoonist for the Bombay-based English daily The Free Press Journal, quitting in 1960 to establish his own political weekly ‘Marmik’.

His political outlook was largely influenced by his father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, a leading figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) movement, which advocated the creation of a separate linguistic state for Marathi speakers.

Bal Thackeray campaigned against the growing influence of non-Marathis in Mumbai through Marmik.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Thackeray built the Shiv Sena. He also founded the Marathi-language newspaper ‘Saamana’.

After the riots in the early 90s, Thackeray and his party took a Hindutva stance. In 1999, he was banned from voting and contesting in any election for six years for indulging in seeking votes in the name of religion.

Thackeray did not hold any official positions as he was never formally elected as the leader of his party.

His son, Uddhav Bal Thackeray served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He took over the leadership of Shiv Sena as well as of Saamana as its Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2019.

A member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council since 2020, Uddhav Thackeray is the president of both Maha Vikas Aghadi and Shiv Sena (UBT).