MNS chief RajThackeray will launch a daily Marathi newspaper soon, which will be his political mouthpiece in the same way as Saamana is for the Shiv Sena. Sources in the MNS disclosed to The Indian Express Tuesday that the name of the daily will be ‘Maratha’. Raj had bought this title long ago from Shishir Pai, the daughter of Acharya Prahlad Keshav Atray, a legendary Marathi writer, political leader and filmmaker. Maratha was a leading newspaper during Atray’s stewardship, but it gradually died down following his death in 1969. Though the name itself fits into the MNS ideological moorings, Atray and Maratha newspaper share a close bonding with the Thackeray clan. In fact, Bal Thackeray was inspired by Atray a great deal. He always tried modelling his style of public speaking who was an outstanding orator. When asked about the timeline for the project, the sources said it had not been firmed up yet, but the newspaper would be out well before the BMC elections are held. It would obviously offer a tough competition to Saamana, but then, both put together, would really spice up the Maharashtra political scene.
