MUMBAI, Jan. 24 -- On Friday, to mark the start of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray's birth centennial year, cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray put up a united front, setting aside all talk of differences after five corporators of the Raj-led MNS extended their support to the deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Kalyan. Speaking at Shanmukhananda Hall, both Thackerays, recently united, stressed that it was 'Hinduhridaysamrat' Bal Thackeray who first united Hindus and also Maharashtra's sons of the soil. At the function, their first joint appearance in public since the Mumbai civic elections, Uddhav and Raj, alliance partners in the civic elections, made it clear they would continue to push their "Marathi manoos" agenda. Distancing himself from the decision taken by the MNS's Kalyan unit to support the Sena, Raj said it was "disgusting" and that he had discussed it with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav and senior Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. He likened the political situation in Maharashtra to a "marketplace", where people are auctioned. He also read out his social media post on X, in which he had said that, sometimes, one has to be flexible in politics. He was implying that he had little choice but to support the Sena in Kalyan, as his five newly elected corporators had pressured the party to do so. Raj's presence at Friday's function assumes significance against the backdrop of the Kalyan episode. Ending a 20-year political estrangement, the Thackeray cousins had joined forces to contest the civic polls for the sake of the "Marathi manoos" in Mumbai and Maharashtra. Although they failed to win power in the Mumbai civic body, they retained the support of their core Marathi voters in Mumbai by winning 71 seats, most of them in Marathi-dominated areas of the city. Uddhav's Sena (UBT) won 65 seats while Raj's MNS bagged only 6. After the elections, political observers have been watching the alliance, wondering just how robust it is. Then, less than a week after the civic polls, five MNS corporators in Kalyan extended their support to Uddhav's bete noire, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, who split the party in 2022 and brought down the Uddhav-led government. Referencing the Kalyan incident and Raj's parallel between Maharashtra's politics and a "marketplace", Uddhav remarked, "When people are sold, I feel bad. I wonder whether this fight has any meaning. When I see that a housewife has become a corporator, it news brings me joy.'' He then delivered a warning to the BJP. "The BJP is wrong if it thinks it can finish the Shiv Sena (UBT). The Sena (UBT) is not a party but an idea," he said to the gathering. "It is a flame of the locals and a torch in the heart of those facing injustice." On the outcome of the civic polls, he said: "The battle in the BMC was fought well. Many in the country said we fought well. An aura was created that we would be wiped out. But they were stopped. They (BJP-Sena alliance) want to swallow Maharashtra. A lot of money was used in the BMC polls. I have many complaints of how envelopes were slid under doors. Attempts can be made to buy votes, not minds,'' he said. The Sena (UBT) chief added, "Many want to wipe out the Thackeray name, but they won't succeed. They call it dynastic politics, let them. Some of our opponents feel awkward to take their fathers' names, what can I do?'' The undivided Sena had ruled the BMC, the country's wealthiest corporation, for more than a quarter century. Uddhav said, "What did they get by removing the saffron flag - a mayoral post. We had this post for 25 years. Our fortresses are still intact. Mumbaikars must remember who helps them in times of need and who uses them as a commodity to trade.'' Uddhav added, "Earlier, Raj said we are Hindus. We are in a majority. But Balasaheb united the Hindus.'' Earlier, Raj had said that Bal Thackeray had once told Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pramod Mahajan how he would be able to make Hindus vote as Hindus. "He united Hindus into one political force. No one knew this, not even the BJP. He united Hindus, not for personal benefit, but for the larger interest of Hindutva," said Uddhav....