Raj Thackeray tears into RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat: 'If love for language is a disease, it ...'

Referring to incidents in Gujarat, where migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were allegedly targeted in the past, Thackeray asked why the RSS leadership did not intervene there.

• Raj Thackeray criticises RSS chief Bhagwat for remarks on language identity
• Thackeray defends linguistic identity, cites strong regional pride across states
• He urges RSS to oppose Hindi imposition and address linguistic tensions

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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, on Tuesday, strongly criticised Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat over his recent remarks on language-based assertions, accusing him of trivialising linguistic identity and selectively preaching harmony.

Taking to microblogging site X, Thackeray was responding to a statement made by Bhagwat at an event in Mumbai on February 8, where the RSS chief reportedly said that insisting on language and occasionally agitating for it amounts to a “disease”.

Thackeray said Bhagwat was mistaken in believing that dignitaries attended the event out of admiration for him. “They attended out of fear of Narendra Modi’s government,” he alleged, adding that such speeches had never attracted audiences in the past.

On 8 February 2026, at an event in Mumbai, RSS Chief Mr. Mohan Bhagwat made a statement to the effect that insisting on language and occasionally agitating for it is a kind of disease. Several dignitaries from different fields were invited to this event, and some of them actually…

— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) February 10, 2026

The MNS chief argued that linguistic identity was the basis for the reorganisation of Indian states and remains deeply entrenched across the country. “If love for one’s language and region is a disease, then it exists across most states,” he said, citing strong linguistic identities in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab and Gujarat.

Thackeray said resentment builds when large groups of migrants move to other states, disregard local culture and language, and form political vote banks. He questioned why similar lectures on harmony were not delivered in other states where linguistic tensions have surfaced.

Referring to incidents in Gujarat, where migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were allegedly targeted in the past, Thackeray asked why the RSS leadership did not intervene there. He alleged that Bhagwat’s remarks were made because Maharashtra’s political leadership was “spineless”.

Thackeray also criticised the RSS for what he described as indirect political positioning, recalling a remark made by RSS leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi ahead of elections that Mumbai’s language was not limited to Marathi. He questioned why an organisation that claims to be non-political engages in such debates.

While stating that he respects the work of the RSS, Thackeray said it should first take a stand against what he termed the imposition of Hindi across the country. “Hindi is not the national language,” he said, adding that the Sangh should reprimand the government before lecturing others on harmony.

Addressing issues related to Hindutva, Thackeray said his party had taken consistent positions against communal violence, loudspeakers at religious sites and public nuisance during festivals. He questioned the RSS leadership’s silence on what he described as chaos in the name of Hindutva, citing incidents such as conduct during Kanwar Yatras and the rise in India’s beef exports despite political campaigns around cow slaughter.

Concluding his statement, Thackeray asserted that the Marathi language and Marathi people remain the MNS’s highest priority. “Linguistic and regional identities will continue to exist in this country, and they will certainly continue to exist in Maharashtra,” he said, adding that defending this identity was the party’s core purpose.