Where was Raj Thackery when the Mumbai [ Images ] came under fire? That was the question that led to a thousand SMS jokes last week.

Conspicuous by his silence when terror ripped the city apart, the Maharashtra [ Images ] Navnirman Sena leader finally went out on Saturday and thanked the firemen who doused the fire at the iconic Taj Hotel [ Images ] on that fateful night.

We wonder if this is an act to douse the public ire against him. 

Photograph: Arun Patil