Game Changer In Maharashtra : After Twenty Years , Raj And Uddhav Thackeray Reunite At A Mega Rally

Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray has said he and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena head Raj Thackeray have come together to stay united as the cousins shared a political stage for the first time after two decades on the issue of Marathi identity and “imposition” of the Hindi language.

Addressing a “victory” rally in Worli to celebrate the rollback of the Hindi language GRs (resolutions) by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, Uddhav hinted at contesting the upcoming civic elections together.

“We have come together to stay together. We will together capture power in the Mumbai civic body and Maharashtra,” he said, evoking loud cheers from the crowd in the packed NSCI Dome.

The elections to the high-profile civic body in Mumbai, which Sena considers its citadel and homeground, and other municipal corporations are due in the coming months.

Raj Thackeray said that he doesn’t have anything against the Hindi language. He pointed out that the Maratha empire didn’t impose Marathi over the vast regions it ruled.

“I don’t have anything against Hindi, no language is bad. It takes a lot of effort to build a language. We Marathi people ruled over a lot of states during the Maratha Empire, but we never enforced Marathi on those parts,” he said.

Speaking ahead of Uddhav, the only person seated on the stage, Raj quipped that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has managed to do what Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and others couldn’t by bringing the two cousins together.

After he quit Shiv Sena in 2005 over apparent differences with his cousin, Raj Thackeray formed the MNS and has been projecting it as the true champion of the cause of the sons-of-the-soil.

IN his attack Uddhav took on the BJP saying , Uddhav said they won’t let the government impose Hindi on the people.

No one should cast an evil eye on Marathi and Maharashtra, he added.

“Our strength should be in our unity. Whenever there is a crisis we come together and after that, we again start fighting amongst ourselves,” Uddhav lamented.

He said the BJP’s “batenge toh katenge” (divided we fall) slogan coined during the assembly polls was meant to divide Hindus and Muslims.

However, in reality, the BJP used it to divide Maharashtrians, he claimed and dubbed the BJP “traders in politics”.

“Marathi manoos (people) fought amongst themselves and slaves of Delhi started ruling us,” he said in a dig at deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.