Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane has hit out at the Thackeray cousins - Uddhav and Raj - over their joint rally in Mumbai, terming it as a "jihadi and anti-Hindu gathering" aimed at dividing society and weakening the state.
After two decades, Uddhav and Raj on Saturday shared the public stage and hosted a victory gathering, titled 'Awaj Marathicha' in Mumbai's Worli area, to celebrate the rollback of two Government Resolutions (GRs) issued earlier by the Devendra Fadnavis-led dispensation introducing Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state schools.
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Talking to reporters on Friday, a day prior to the rally, Rane said, "We are Hindus and also proud Marathi. The way jihadis attempt to divide our society, these people are doing the same. Be it (banned) Popular Front of India (PFI) or Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) who work against the idea of a Hindu Rashtra, these two (Thackerays) are no different. They are trying to weaken the state."
On the Thackerays' joint rally, the BJP leader said, "The Worli meeting is aimed at dividing Hindus and Marathi people. It can be equated with the rallies of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), PFI or SIMI. It will cause the biggest damage to Hindus in the state. After the rally, sweets will be distributed in Null Bazar (a Muslim-dominated area in Mumbai) and firecrackers will be burst." "It is an anti-Hindu rally," the Fisheries and Port Development Minister said.
Rane is the son of former Union minister Narayan Rane, the bete noire of Uddhav Thackeray.
Senior BJP leader and former minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, however, struck a conciliatory note.
"If Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray are coming together, it's a good thing. They have our best wishes. The two brothers should unite and stay united. If necessary, both parties should even consider merging," he said.
On the controversy over the three-language policy, which has now been cancelled, Mungantiwar said the issue had not been politicised.
"There was never any distant attempt to politicise the Marathi issue. I still don't understand why such a misunderstanding was spread," he said.
He said the three-language formula was originally recommended by a committee appointed during Uddhav Thackeray's tenure as chief minister.
"As per the formula, Hindi was to be mandatory only after Class 5, while Marathi and English were already compulsory from Class 1. The idea was that at an early age, children could easily pick up a third language. There is no attack on Marathi in this," he said.
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