Raj Thackeray praises Devendra Fadnavis for achieving reunion with Uddhav in Mumbai joint rally, something Balasaheb couldn’t
by Utsav RoyMNS leader Raj Thackeray, addressing a joint rally alongside his cousin Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai, praised Maharashtra’s BJP Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for accomplishing what thousands had failed to achieve.
“Uddhav and I are reuniting after two decades… What Balasaheb Thackeray couldn’t accomplish, and thousands others couldn’t either, Devendra Fadnavis succeeded in doing,” Raj said in Marathi during the large gathering in Worli.
The cousins’ split occurred during Bal Thackeray’s lifetime when he chose his son Uddhav over Raj as Shiv Sena’s successor.
This reunion centers around the cause of “Marathi pride,” a theme Bal Thackeray used to solidify his support base, and takes place amid heated debates and disturbances linked to the controversial imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra’s schools.
“Why impose Hindi on children?” Raj questioned, referring to the BJP-led government’s later-retracted plan to introduce Hindi as a third language in schools.
Responding to allegations against their supporters for intimidating people over Marathi language issues, Uddhav stated, “On language, Raj, I, and everyone here stand united.”
“If being ‘goons’ means fighting for justice, then yes, we will stand firm,” Uddhav added, taking responsibility for the rollback of the Hindi language decision under public pressure. He criticized the government for making decisions without consulting educational experts and imposing Hindi just because of their power.
Raj also commented on migration trends, highlighting that migrants from Hindi-speaking states, economically less developed, move to non-Hindi states but Hindi itself hasn’t brought them progress.
Regarding the third-language controversy, he warned it was just a test; if the Hindi imposition had been accepted quietly, the next move might have been attempts to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.
Both leaders appeared joyful, with Shiv Sena leader Anand Dubey noting, “After many years, this golden moment has come when both Thackerays, powerful names, unite not for politics but for Maharashtra’s dignity.”