New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on his birth anniversary, saying he never hesitated from raising issues of public importance. Thackeray was born in 1926 in Pune.

“Tributes to the great Balasaheb Thackeray on his jayanti. Courageous and indomitable, he never hesitated from raising issues of public welfare,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

Thackeray always remained proud of Indian ethos and values, and continues to inspire millions, Modi said.

The Shiv Sena recently formed a government in Maharashtra with the support of the NCP and the Congress, breaking a decades-old alliance with the BJP.