Mumbai, August 25: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Monday visited actor Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra for Ganesh darshan. The party maintained that the visit had nothing to do with politics.
Thackeray reached Khan’s residence around 4 pm and stayed there for more than 30 minutes. “They are close friends. No one should try to read more into their meeting. Khan stood behind Thackeray when the Mumbai police had imposed a gag order against him last year. Both he and his father Salim Khan had raised their voices against the order,” an MNS official said.
Party general secretary Shirish Parkar said that he was not aware of the meeting.
However, sources believe that this was more than just a personal visit. “Usually, politicians visit different Ganesh pandals to build rapport with the organisers. With the assembly elections so near, Thackeray’s visit to the actor’s house will help him connect with the minorities,” a source said.
—Agencies