Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray wished his nephew Raj on his birthday on Thursday and sent him a huge bouquet of flowers despite the ideological differences between them.

"Balasaheb sent Raj a bouquet of flowers and they spoke on the phone this morning, as they do every year on Raj'sbirthday," a source close to Raj said in Mumbai.

Raj, who broke away from the Sena in 2006 while citing differences with the party leadership, has maintained that his relationship with his uncle is personal and has nothing to do with political ideology.

Scores of workers of his party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, thronged Raj's residence at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai to wish him on his birthday.