Uddhav and Raj raise pitch for Marathi manoos at Mumbai rally, term BJP's Hindutva fake

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray on Sunday targeted the BJP over "fake Hindutva" at a joint rally for civic polls and said their political reunion was triggered by imminent "danger" to Mumbai.

Uddhav said he and Raj Thackeray, who heads the MNS, have buried their differences for the Marathi manoos, Hindus, and Maharashtra.

Reaching out to the core Marathi votebank, Raj said he and Uddhav have come together as Mumbai is facing danger.

"This is the last election for Marathi manoos. If he makes a mistake now, the battle (for Mumbai) will be lost forever," he said.

Speaking after Raj, the Sena (UBT) chief questioned whether the BJP wants to rename Mumbai as "Bombay", invoking remarks by Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai.

Accusing the BJP of playing divisive politics ahead of elections, Uddhav said, "BJP's Hindutva and nationalism are fake." "The BJP has become a party which says corruption first, instead of nation first," he added.