Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray organized a joint rally in Worli, celebrating their first public collaboration in two decades against the controversial three-language policy. Uddhav suggested a collaborative strategy for the forthcoming civic elections, declaring, “Together we will seize control of the Mumbai civic body and Maharashtra,” which drew enthusiastic backing from the crowd at the NSCI Dome.
Raj Thackeray stressed that the government retracted the policy solely in light of their intended protest, which was ultimately called off, claiming that political strategies would now aim to segment society by caste. He charged the BJP with implementing a "divide and rule" tactic, highlighting that people from various backgrounds, such as South Indian stars, have succeeded while maintaining pride in their local languages.
Uddhav replied by emphasizing their dedication to stopping the enforcement of Hindi, highlighting the significance of solidarity among Marathi speakers. He contended that the BJP’s previous slogan, “batenge toh katenge,” sought to disrupt communal unity in Maharashtra, as local groups fought among themselves while outside influences took over.
The assembly was historically important; against the State government’s initiative to implement a three-language policy promoting Hindi, the opposition rallied support to oppose this enforcement, resulting in the retraction of the contentious resolution.
Originally meant as a demonstration against the policy, the rally evolved into a victory celebration after the rollback, indicating a potential collaborative political approach between the two leaders as they prepare for the forthcoming civic elections.
Even with limited presence in the Assembly, as Sena UBT has just 20 MLAs and MNS not securing any seats, the Thackeray cousins have notably come together after two decades since their split in 2005 from Shiv Sena, seeking to restore their political influence.
