In an appeal in party mouthpiece Saamna, he had lashed out at Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for his statement “to forget the past” and play cricket with Pakistan.
Thackeray was ailing for about two years and was under regular medical treatment at Matoshri. In the last week, his health deteriorated sharply.
According to party leaders, a virtual ICU had been recreated at Matoshri with all emergency equipment and medical and para-medical staff on duty round-the-clock.
Son Uddhav Thackeray was fielding scores of visitors, politicians and showbiz celebrities as this city remained on the edge for the last few days with heavy police deployment outside his residence and in trouble spots around the city.
The leader's influence extended not just over politics and society but also over the film industry, evident from the beeline celebrities made to Matoshri to enquire about his health. The list included Amitabh Bachchan and son Abhishek, Salim Khan and son Salman Khan to Rishi Kapoor and brother Randhir and Lata Mangeshkar.
Following his death, condolences poured in from President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP leaders L.K. Advani, BJP president Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and others, cutting across political lines.
