MUMBAI: Amid acrimonious relations between the Shiv Sena and BJP in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray shared the dais on Tuesday after more than four months.
The two leaders attended the inauguration of Jal Bhushan Building and Gallery of Revolutionaries at the Raj Bhavan and later the 200th-anniversary celebration of the Gujarati daily `Mumbai Samachar' in the city.
On April 24, chief minister Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena, had noticeably skipped the function when Modi received the Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar award in the city.
Before that, on March 6, when the prime minister visited Pune to inaugurate Pune Metro, Thackeray stayed away.
The Sena had said the CM could not attend the function as he was recovering from a surgery.
Before that, Modi and Thackeray were seen together, for a few moments, during the last rites of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar at Shivaji Park in the city on February 6.
The relations between the Sena and BJP, former allies who split up after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, have worsened steadily over the years.
The Sena has often accused the Union government of misusing central agencies to target the Sena-NCP-Congress coalition government in Maharashtra.
Some prominent ministers and legislators of the coalition have faced probes by the Enforcement Directorate and other agencies.
Recently, the ED raided the properties of Thackeray's brother-in-law.
Modi on Tuesday said we need to strengthen the culture of healthy debates and open discussions that have been a hallmark of India over the years.
Over the last thousands of years, Indians have spoken openly about the most difficult of the topics and made correct logic an integral part of the society, he said.
Speaking at an event to mark the 200th anniversary of Gujarati daily "Mumbai Samachar", Modi said "debate and discussions" have helped the country over the years and we need to "strengthen" the culture.
He said every institution has a particular role to play for the betterment of society, be it the media or the legislature.
The Indian media has both criticised the policies and also stood for national interest in a constructive manner, the Prime Minister said, expressing hope that the media will continue to play its role in the next 25 years which his government has called as the "Azadi ka Amrut Kaal".
Modi said the Mumbai Samachar newspaper gave voice to India's freedom movement and lauded the publication's journey over the last 200 years.
He said the newspaper did not lose its local connection when Mumbai became Bombay.
Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel often quoted this newspaper, he added.
Modi also released a special postal stamp commemorating 200 years of Mumbai Samachar.