Mumbai BMC Elections 2026: What Does 'Hatao Lungi, Bajao Pungi' Mean? Slur Used By Raj Thackeray To Attack K Annamalai

Mumbai: In a move that signals a return to the aggressive identity politics of the 1960s, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray revived one of the most controversial slogans in Maharashtra’s political history. Addressing a massive rally at Shivtirtha in Dadar on Sunday ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Thackeray targeted BJP leader K Annamalai, using the slur "Hatao Lungi, Bajao Pungi" to protest remarks regarding Mumbai’s status as a international city.

The controversy erupted after Annamalai allegedly suggested that Mumbai is a international city rather than a purely Maharashtrian one. Thackeray, mockingly referring to the BJP leader as 'Rasmalai,' framed the comments as a direct threat to the state’s sovereignty over its capital, claiming a conspiracy exists to detach Mumbai from Maharashtra.

Understanding The Slur: Origins & Meaning

The phrase 'Hatao Lungi, Bajao Pungi' (literally translated as "Remove the lungi-wearers, blow the pipe") is a xenophobic slur that dates back to the mid-1960s. It was the foundational rallying cry of the Shiv Sena, founded by Raj Thackeray’s uncle, Balasaheb Thackeray.

The 1960s 'Sons Of The Soil' Movement

The slogan emerged during a period of economic anxiety in Mumbai. At the time, the Shiv Sena accused South Indians, who held a large number of clerical and white-collar jobs in the city’s burgeoning private sector, of taking opportunities away from the local Marathi-speaking population.

The 'Sons of the Soil' movement used this slur to galvanise the Marathi youth, leading to a decade of heightened linguistic tensions and occasional physical confrontations. While the Shiv Sena eventually shifted its focus toward Hindutva in the late 1980s, the slogan remains a potent symbol of Mumbai’s nativist political roots.

By invoking this specific slur ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Raj Thackeray is attempting to reclaim the nativist mantle. He argues that Marathi people are being marginalised in their own city, both economically and culturally.

However, critics argue that reviving such rhetoric is a regressive step that threatens the cosmopolitan fabric of Mumbai. However, for Thackeray, the slogan is a tool to consolidate the 'Marathi Manoos' vote bank against what he perceives as a renewed outside threat to the city’s identity.

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