In a striking show of unity after two decades of political estrangement, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray shared a warm hug on stage at a rally in Mumbai on Friday.
The event, dubbed the "Marathi Victory Rally", was held to celebrate the Maharashtra government's rollback of two controversial government resolutions (GRs) that would have introduced Hindi as a third compulsory language in schools from Class 1 to 5.
The moment marked the first time the Thackeray cousins appeared together on a public platform since Raj Thackeray broke away from the Shiv Sena in 2006 to form the MNS. Held at the NSCI Dome in Worli, the rally drew large crowds of supporters from both parties.
According to ANI, the rally was organised jointly by Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS to assert the primacy of Marathi in Maharashtra’s cultural and educational landscape.
The Maharashtra government had earlier issued two GRs making Hindi mandatory as a third language in primary schools. However, following strong opposition from regional parties and cultural groups, the government scrapped the decisions earlier this week.
This rare show of unity between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has sparked buzz over a possible new political equation in Maharashtra’s fluid political landscape, especially as it comes just ahead of the local body polls, including the cash-rich Mumbai civic corporation.
The last time the two cousins shared the stage was in 2005 during the election campaign of the Malvan assembly bypoll after former chief minister Narayan Rane had quit the undivided Shiv Sena. In the same year, Raj Thackeray exited the Shiv Sena and founded the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 2006.
NCP founder Sharad Pawar will not attend the joint rally held by the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) due to prior commitments. The Congress, meanwhile, has reportedly opted out of Thackeray brothers’ rally – citing potential fallout among its non-Marathi supporters ahead of the BMC polls despite its opposition to the state’s Hindi language push.
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