Two decades after parting ways in the shadow of Bal Thackeray’s succession plan, estranged cousins Raj and Uddhav Thackeray shared a stage once again in Mumbai on Friday, invoking Marathi pride and lambasting the BJP-led government’s alleged attempts to impose Hindi in Maharashtra.
Addressing a massive rally in Worli, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said, “Many are raising doubts whether we will stick together till the BMC elections are over. Let me tell you all we are here for Marathi and will be together for Marathi,” he said.
Referring to attempts to sow discord between the Thackeray cousins, Uddhav added, “Raj, from today onwards, we are together. We have come together and now again they will try to divide us.”
Thackeray declared that it was not Balasaheb Thackeray but BJP leader and current Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who had finally managed to unite the two Thackerays.
“Uddhav and I are coming together after 20 years… What Balasaheb Thackeray could not do, thousands others couldn't do, Devendra Fadnavis managed to do that,” Raj said in Marathi, drawing loud applause from supporters of both factions.
The reunion comes at a politically charged moment, with growing discontent over cultural imposition, particularly following the government’s now-withdrawn order mandating Hindi as a third language in schools.
Raj questioned, “Why is Hindi being forced on children?” accusing the BJP of undermining Maharashtra’s linguistic identity. He warned that had this move gone unchallenged, the next step could have been an attempt to “separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.”
Also read: After 20 years, Thackeray cousins to unite in Mumbai rally
Uddhav Thackeray, head of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, echoed Raj’s concerns. “When it comes to the question of language, Raj, I and everyone else here is united,” he said.
Hitting back at critics who labelled the Thackeray cousins and their supporters as aggressors, Uddhav retorted: “Yes, we are goons; if we have to be goons to get justice, we will do goondagiri.”
Referring to the street action that forced the rollback of the Hindi language directive, Uddhav asserted, “Your power is in the legislature. We have power on the street.”
Raj also took aim at the economic imbalance between Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi-speaking states, questioning the effectiveness of Hindi in uplifting regions from where migration continues in large numbers. “Hindi-speaking states are economically backward. People are migrating from these states to non-Hindi-speaking states. Why has Hindi not helped them progress?” he asked.
He claimed the BJP was “testing waters” with the language directive and that Maharashtra had to remain vigilant.
On the sidelines of the rally, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey described the event as “a golden time,” noting that “both Thackerays, who are well-established brands, are coming together, not because of politics, but for the sake of Maharashtra’s honour.”
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