Bal Thackeray to anoint grandson into politics

MUMBAI - Nearly half a decade after anointing son Uddhav Thackeray as Shiv Sena’s executive chief, supremo Bal Thackeray will launch his grandson Aditya into politics at a Dussehra rally Sunday.

The three generations of the Thackeray clan - Bal, Uddhav and his son Aditya, 20, - shall be seen together for the first time at the annual Shivaji Park rally, said a party spokesperson.

A student of the prestigious St. Xaviers’ College in south Mumbai, Aditya is to enter politics through the Shiv Sena’s youth wing, the Yuva Sena.

The youngest Thackeray published a book of English poems, “My Thoughts In Black And White”, when he was just 16 and a student in the elite Bombay Scottish School.

While his grandfather was a cartoonist and father Uddhav a photographer, Aditya has forayed into literature. His book was later translated in Hindi and Marathi.

The Yuva Sena is expected to play a larger role, focusing on reforms in education, health and employment sectors, party spokesperson Shweta Parulekar said.

Last month, Aditya reportedly oversaw protests against Rohinton Mistry’s book “Such A Long Journey”, which was nominated for the Booker Prize.

They burnt copies of the book and got it dropped from the Mumbai University Second Year Bachelor of Arts (SYBA) syllabus.

The grounds for the protests, which shocked the academic fraternity, were that it contained certain uncharitable remarks about the Shiv Sena.

Aditya’s political entry has been a planned affair in the family, first hinted by Uddhav in 2008.

In the 2009 assembly elections, Aditya campaigned for the party. But the Dussehra rally would be his formal political initiation.