Raj Thackeray's Presence at Modi's Swearing-In: An Invitation Dilemma

Amid rumors about MNS chief Raj Thackeray's invitation to Modi's swearing-in ceremony, an MNS leader criticized BJP's fleeting friendships. Another leader, Bala Nandgaonkar, stated only Thackeray could clarify the matter, while BJP's Sudhir Mungantiwar attributed it to procedural errors.

Speculation is rife in Maharashtra's political arena concerning whether MNS president Raj Thackeray received an invitation to attend the Modi government's swearing-in ceremony. A senior MNS leader, Prakash Mahajan, has pointedly blamed the BJP, stating, "The generation which knew how to build and maintain friendships no longer exists in the BJP."

Prakash Mahajan, brother of the late BJP figure Pramod Mahajan, accused the BJP of opportunism, alleging, "In that party, the present practice is to come to your doorstep when you're needed and to close the door on the face when your utility ends. They have seen the ill-effects of this in the recent Lok Sabha election."

MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar mentioned that only Raj Thackeray could clarify if he received an invite to the ceremony. On the other hand, Maharashtra's BJP minister Sudhir Mungantiwar explained, "Normally officers in the protocol department prepare the invitation list, and in this process, sometimes names of friends get inadvertently missed." He added, "There can't be any other reason for this (not giving the invitation). The party (BJP) should take a note of this."

This development comes after Raj Thackeray extended unconditional support to BJP, even sharing the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Mumbai rally last month. Notably, this comes five years after he directly attacked Modi at the same venue, Shivaji Park. During the recent rally, Thackeray praised the Modi-led government's accomplishments, including the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the abrogation of Article 370.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)