Mumbai: Estranged cousins Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray shared a stage after nearly 20 years Saturday, months ahead of the Mumbai municipal polls. While the optics and rhetoric indicated a new-found bonhomie, Raj did not give any indication of whether the MNS would join hands with Shiv Sena (UBT) for the BMC polls. Uddhav, however, hinted at a possible alliance saying, “We have come together to stay together.”
Coming together under the banner of “Awaaz Marathicha” to celebrate what they claim as their victory in the rollback of the Government Resolutions (GRs) on the three-language policy in primary schools, Raj said, “They (Mahayuti) finally witnessed the power of Maharashtra and Marathi people and that’s what forced them to withdraw the GR on three-language formula.”
The MNS chief added that Hindutva is not based on any language, and invoked LK Advani’s education.
“I have a list of people who studied in non-Hindi-medium schools. We studied in Marathi-medium. Our children studied in English. They say we love English, how can we like Marathi? My father and uncle studied in the English-medium. Can you doubt them? L.K. Advani studied at St. Patrick’s High School, a missionary school. Should we doubt his Hindutva? Jayalalithaa, M.K. Stalin, Kanimozhi, Udhayanidhi, Pawan Kalyan, Nara Lokesh, Kamal Haasan, A.R. Rahman, they all studied in English,” he told the crowd.
He was replying to BJP’s taunts that the Thackeray children (Amit and Aaditya) studied at English-medium schools.
Raj also suggested that Maharashtra should take a leaf out of Tamil Nadu’s book. “Have you seen the southern states? Have you seen Tamil Nadu? See how they have opposed Hindi language,” he said.
Adding, “What is going on in Maharashtra? We are the ones who do not react. Every state’s language should be respected.”
Raj last shared a stage with Uddhav in 2005. He then quit the Shiv Sena later that same year before floating the MNS in 2006.
After Raj spoke, Uddhav said, again hinting at the possibility of a political alliance in the future, “When it comes to language, Raj and I are together. And in future, we will stay together and throw others out.”
To this, Raj added, “I don’t know what will happen ahead but whatever is the dream of Balasaheb Thackeray on the Marathi issue, we will fulfill it.”
As far as the scrapping of the GRs is concerned, political analysts told ThePrint that the move by the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government was driven by potential political fallout as BJP feared a backlash ahead of the civic body polls in Mumbai amid a growing movement in favour of Marathi and against the imposition of Hindi.
The announcement of the rare joint rally by the Thackeray cousins may have also played a part, as the united opposition to the GRs could give a fresh lease of life to their parties, especially the Shiv Sena (UBT), which is battling for survival ahead of the polls.
“In Mumbai, it is a revival game for Uddhav Thackeray and if both the Thackerays had come together, it would have impacted BJP in BMC polls as Marathi votes would have consolidated. Marathi voters vote differently for the BMC polls as against the Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha. They still hold Thackeray in their DNA,” political analyst Abhay Deshpande had told ThePrint earlier.
Sure enough, the united call against the ‘imposition’ of Hindi drew in the crowds at the NSCI Dome in Worli, which was packed with supporters who had come to see both Thackerays together.
“Mumbai was our right, we fought and got it. We have to expose the BJP’s ‘one nation, one election’ idea. Slowly, they want to make everything one. Hindu and Hindustan, we agree, but we won’t allow Hindi. We made Marathi compulsory; we had to do it,” Uddhav told supporters.
Uddhav even took a swipe at the Centre, invoking the ‘katenge-batenge’ slogan Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath gave while campaigning for BJP candidates in Maharashtra ahead of Assembly polls last year. “In Gujarat, Patels were polarised and the rest of them used as a consolidated vote bank. In Haryana, the Jats were provoked and the rest of them used vote banks as well. We understand ‘batenge toh katenge’ now,” Uddhav said.
Speaking on Mumbai and its importance to Maharashtra, the former chief minister alleged that most of the land in Mumbai had been given to Adani. “We should be ashamed that our martyrs shed their blood for Mumbai, and we cannot even preserve our land.”
आजच्या विजयी मेळाव्यातील छायाचित्र.@AUThackeray pic.twitter.com/8jeYOI1Drl
— Amit Thackeray (@AmitThackerays) July 5, 2025
NCP (SP) leaders Supriya Sule and Jitendra Awhad were among those present at the rally, as were leaders of the Left parties. However, leaders of the Congress, which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, were absent.
A senior state Congress leader told ThePrint, “It looked like it was an event of two cousins. Besides, we are a national party. Though we believe Marathi should be compulsory in the state, we don’t oppose Hindi.”
After the speeches were over, the entire Thackeray family including both wives and cousins Amit and Aaditya, as well as Tejas and Mitali, wife of Amit Thackeray, were on stage for a photo op, signalling that the entire Thackeray clan is together on the issue of Marathi and Marathi pride.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: What forced BJP reversal on ‘Hindi as 3rd language’ orders for Maharashtra govt schools