Speaking at a joint rally with cousin Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai, MNS Chief Raj Thackeray credited Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for reuniting him with his estranged cousin, after two decades of separation.
Raj Thackeray said at a massive event in Worli, “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.”
The cousins’ breakup had come while Bal Thackeray was alive, after he preferred his son Uddhav over Raj for the Shiv Sena succession.
Three-Language Row Makes Way for Reunion
The reunion comes on the agenda of “Marathi pride” – a plank that Bal Thackeray deployed to build his base, prompted by the controversial three-language formula. It forced the Fadnavis government to roll back its decision to make Hindi mandatory as a third language in primary schools.
At the rally, both leaders signalled the reunion could be more than symbolic, declaring the brothers had come together to “stay together”, a remark that hinted at a possible political alliance.
Speaking at the “victory rally”, Raj said, “I don’t have anything against Hindi, no language is bad. It takes a lot of effort to build a language. We Marathi people ruled over a lot of states during the Maratha Empire, but we never enforced Marathi on those parts.”
Upcoming Civic Polls: Is It The Reason?
Uddhav Thackeray also went 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.
The announcement is important 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 Thackeray cousins, who have been vocal about embracing 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.
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