"Pawar who left Congress on the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin went back to Congress-led United Progressive Alliance for a Ministerial berth. I feel a man like him who has mettle and qualities is being wasted there," Thackeray said in an interview carried by Sena mounthpiece Saamna.

The Sena chief said he wanted a ‘Marathi’ to become the country's Prime Minister but the person at the helm should have a free hand to govern and should not survive on the patronage of Sonia Gandhi.

In response to a question about his recent meeting with Pawar, which had caused a flutter in political circles and raised eyebrows in the camp of Sena's saffron ally BJP, Thackeray came out with a cryptic comment saying ‘at present both of them seemed to vibe well with each other’.