Mumbai, Mar 20: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said he drew inspiration from Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and had come to meet him to seek his blessings. Modi called on Thackeray at his Bandra residence 'Matoshree' and was closeted with him for about an hour. However, both refused to divulge details of their talks when mediapersons asked them about the outcome of their meeting. "I have come here to seek blessings of Thackeray from whom I draw inspiration", Modi told reporters after interacting with the Sena leader. Modi, who earlier visited Shivneri fort, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji on the occasion of birth anniversary of the Maratha leader, said "Shivaji is a national hero and does not belong solely to Maharashtra."
Thackeray said "VHP, BJP, RSS and Shiv Sena were not competing with each other in so far as propagation of Hindutva was concerned. On the contrary, we have been supporting each other".
Refusing to divulge details of the meeting, Thackeray said "we can meet anytime. This is our right; both of us are Hindus and nobody should have a problem if we meet".
To a query as to who was the real Hindu "hriday samrat" (king of hearts), Thackeray in his usual jovial manner said "let's toss a coin to resolve the issue".
"I have never claimed to be Hindu 'hriday samrat'. People out of sheer love for me have been referring to me like that", Thackeray said adding, "by asking such questions you are creating misunderstanding between us". Bureau Report