Uddhav and Raj Thackeray share stage after almost 20 years, vow to save ‘Marathi linguistic identity’ at all costs | Key highlights

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray today came together and vowed to fight to save Marathi language.

‘We have now come together to stay together,’ roared Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray as he shared the stage with his cousin Raj Thackeray after almost 20 years. The event, titled ‘Awaj Marathicha’ (Voice of the Marathi), has been jointly organised by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

The rally came after the ruling Mahayuti coalition recently decided to rollback a controversial policy mandating Hindi as a third language in Maharashtra’s primary schools.

What Uddhav Thackeray said?

• “Our strength is in our unity, whenever some challenging time comes, we all come together, but we all have experienced that when the challenging time passes, we all go for our personal interests, which should not happen this time…”
• “They always ask us what we did for Marathi people in Mumbai during our rule in BMC. Now we are asking the question: in the last 11 years of your rule, what have you done? You have pushed away Mumbai’s important establishment to Gujarat. Businesses are being transferred to Gujarat. Big offices are going to Gujarat. The diamond business has already shifted to Gujarat, so you have made all attempts to break the backbone of Maharashtra and continue to do that, and you are asking questions to us.”
• “When the BJP says that they want one Constitution, one Symbol and 1 Prime Minister, then they should remember that one symbol is the tricolour and not the BJP’s flag, which is only a piece of cloth used to clean utensils.”
• “You (BJP) have used us enough already. If you didn’t have the support of Balasaheb Thackeray, who knew you in Maharashtra. Who are you to teach us about Hindutva? When riots were happening in Mumbai, then we Marathi people had saved every Hindu in Maharashtra, be it anyone. If you are calling Marathi people ‘gundas’ doing their protest, seeking justice. Then yes, we are ‘gunda’.
• “Since we announced about this program, everyone was eagerly waiting for our speech today, but in my view, we both coming together, and this stage was more important than our speeches. Raj Thackeray has already given a very outstanding speech, and I think there is no need for me to speak now.”

What Raj Thackeray said?

• “Be it Gujarati or anyone else here, must know Marathi, but there is no need to beat people for that if they don’t speak Marathi. But if someone shows useless drama, you must hit below their eardrums. I tell you one more thing: if you beat someone, don’t make a video of the incident. Let the person beaten up tell that he has been beaten up, you don’t need to tell everyone that you have beaten someone.”
• “They say that our children have learnt in English medium schools. So what? Dada Bhuse studied in Marathi schools and became a minister. Devendra Fadnavis studied in an English-medium school and became the Maharashtra CM. So what? I would tell you that I studied in a Marathi school, but my father, Shrikant Thackeray, and uncle, Balasaheb Thackeray, studied in an English medium school. Can anyone raise a question about their love for Marathi? Tomorrow, I will learn Hebrew also. Will anyone raise a question about my pride in Marathi?
• “I had said in one of my interviews that my Maharashtra is bigger than any politics and fight. 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…”