Mumbai : Uddhav Thackeray, after 20 years of political estrangement, Raj Thackeray mounted a fierce attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying he managed to do what even Bal Thackeray could not. The rare reunion of the Thackeray cousins, spurred by their opposition to the controversial three-language formula, had forced the Fadnavis government to roll back its decision to make Hindi mandatory as a third language in primary schools.
Raj said, Maharashtra is bigger than any politics and fighting. Today, after 20 years, Uddhav and I have come together. What Balasaheb could not do, Devendra Fadnavis did it… The work of bringing both of us together. Uddhav Thackeray also played along, saying they would come together for the Mumbai civic body, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), polls. We have come together to stay together, Uddhav said.
The announcement is crucial against the backdrop of their recent electoral performance. In the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20 seats while the MNS failed to win any. The venue in Worli drew thousands of Marathi enthusiasts and was teeming with supporters of both parties – a never-seen-before spectacle that could create ripples in Maharashtra’s shifting political landscape.
The Thackeray cousins, who have been vocal about espousing the cause of Marathi language and identity, last shared a stage in 2005. Raj Thackeray quit the Shiv Sena that year and launched the MNS in 2006. In a hard-hitting speech targeting the BJP, Raj said the decision on the three-language formula was a precursor to the plan of separating Mumbai from Maharashtra.
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