Thackeray cousins' reunion last-ditch attempt to hold on to what remains of their influence: BJP

During the rally, Uddhav, who heads the Shiv Sena (UBT), said he and his cousin Raj, the president of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), have come together to stay united, and hinted at contesting the upcoming civic elections together.

BJP leaders, in Maharashtra and in the rest of the country, said on Saturday said Uddhav and Raj Thackeray's joint rally in Mumbai was a "desperate attempt" to revive their political fortunes and recover lost ground ahead of civic polls, adding the event was more like a "family reunion".

Taking a dig at the Thackeray cousins, Amit Malviya — in-charge of BJP's National Information & Technology Dept, said that the joining of hands is driven by desperation and is a 'last-ditch attempt to hold on to what remains of their influence'.

Malviya wrote on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), "Surprised it took Raj and Uddhav Thackeray this long to join forces after the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly verdict. That outcome gave them no real option. With the BJP-led alliance securing a massive 235 seats, the Thackeray cousins could clearly see the end of the road. Now, with the BMC also slipping from their grip, they know that losing Mumbai would mean the final blow to their political relevance."

"This alliance isn’t driven by conviction — it’s driven by desperation. It’s a last-ditch attempt to hold on to what remains of their influence. Language politics is just a convenient tool in that fight. This isn’t strategy. It’s survival," he added.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responded with sharp sarcasm after Raj Thackeray credited him for bringing together the once-estranged Thackeray cousins.

Reacting to Raj’s jibe that the CM had achieved what even Balasaheb Thackeray couldn’t, uniting the cousins after two decades, Fadnavis said, “I am thankful to Raj Thackeray for giving me credit for bringing them together.”

Also Read - ‘Thanks for the credit’: Fadnavis responds with sarcasm as Thackeray cousins reunite over Marathi pride

Uddhav and Raj on Saturday shared the public stage and hosted a victory gathering titled 'Awaj Marathicha' in Mumbai's Worli 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.

During the rally, Uddhav, who heads the Shiv Sena (UBT), said he and his cousin Raj, the president of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), have come together to stay united, and hinted at contesting the upcoming civic elections together.

Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar described the Worli event as a desperate attempt by the Sena (UBT) to recover its lost political ground. "This was not a rally for the love of language but public appeasement of a brother once thrown out of the house. They remembered their brotherhood due to the fear of BJP's strength in the civic polls," he said.

The Thackerays were trying to reclaim control over the BMC in order to resume their misrule in the city, he added.

(With PTI inputs)