Maharashtra observed a morning filled with political nostalgia on Saturday as cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray reunited to reinstate their commitment to fighting for a composite Marathi identity.
This was the first time in the last two decades that the Thackeray brothers appeared on a political stage overcoming their differences for the cause of 'Marathi Manoos' and spoke on the alleged 'imposition' of Hindi language by the Bharatiya Janata Party at Centre.
The feud started over succession of Bal Thackeray's legacy in Shiv Sena party and led to Raj Thackeray quitting the party in 2005. He founded Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in 2006 and since then, the two parties have been contesting elections against each other.
The two leaders today hinted that they might fight the upcoming Mumbai civic body and other elections in Maharashtra together.
Thackeray Brothers Say, 'We're Here To Stay'
Addressing a "victory" rally in Mumbai's Worli to celebrate the rollback of the Hindi language GRs (resolutions) by the BJP-led government, Uddhav hinted at contesting the upcoming civic elections together.
"We have come together to stay together. We will together capture power in the Mumbai civic body and Maharashtra," he said amid loud cheers from the crowd.
"Our strength should be in our unity. Whenever there is a crisis we come together and after that, we again start fighting amongst ourselves," Uddhav stated.
He also targeted the ruling BJP's "batenge toh katenge" (divided we fall) slogan coined during the assembly polls and said it was meant to divide Hindus and Muslims.
Speaking ahead of Uddhav, the only person seated on the stage, Raj quipped that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has managed to do what Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and others couldn't by bringing the two cousins together.
Raj said that, after the language row, the government's next move in politics will be to divide people on caste.
"The BJP's ploy is to divide and rule", he added.
Why Did Thackeray Brothers Split?
Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had two potential successors - Uddhav Thackeray, the biological son with a reserved nature and Raj Thackeray, the nephew with a charismatic and outspoken presence.
Despite the popularity that Raj brought to the game, when Bal Thackeray's health deteriorated, he appointed Uddhav Thackeray as Shiv Sena's working president in 2003. This caused the rift between the cousins.
As Raj felt neglected, he held discussions with Bal Thackeray and Uddhav but ultimately in 2005 he announced that he was quitting the party. In am emotional speech, Raj had said, "All I had asked for was respect. All I got was insult and humiliation."
Months later in 2006, Raj Thackeray found Maharashtra Navnirman Sena with its agenda to represent the Marathis.
Shiv Sena remained under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray after Bal Thackeray passed away. It was in 2022 when Eknath Shinde split from the party to join hands with BJP and form a faction with the same name.
Shiv Sena (UBT) faction has performed quite poorly in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Reunion Over Marathi
The state government's flip-flop on the three-language policy and the introduction of Hindi as a third language provided a much-needed common cause for the cousins to reunite.
Conscious of Bal Thackeray's charisma and its emotional connect with the common Marathi people, Uddhav and Raj occupied the stage on July 5 with clear agenda - saving Marathi identity and taking Thackeray legacy forward.
Opening the speech, the MNS president said the three-language formula imposed by the state government was a precursor to its plan to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.
He said the government had to withdraw the controversial GRs merely at the thought of the proposed protest march- which was cancelled and the victory rally was held.
Uddhav said they won't let the government impose Hindi on the people. No one should cast an evil eye on Marathi and Maharashtra, he added.
Rejecting the opposition's "convent education" jibe at his son, Raj said many politicians and film stars in South India studied in English schools but are proud of Tamil and Telugu languages.
The Opposition has often targeted Raj and Uddhav over the convent schooling of their sons- Amit and Aaditya, respectively.
"Balasaheb Thackeray had studied in an English school, worked in an English newspaper, but he never compromised on the status of Marathi," Raj Thackeray said.
The Controversial Three-Language Policy
The three-language policy states that every student in India should learn three languages, two of which should be of native origin.
It was first proposed by the Education Commission, officially known as the Kothari commission (1964-66). It was formally introduced through the National Education Policy of 1968 to boost multilingualism and aid in communication across the country.
The National Education Policy introduced in 2020 proposed the early implementation of the three-language formula to foster and boost multilingualism. It differed from the NEP of 1968, which mandated Hindi, English, and a regional language in its scope. The NEP 2020 offers greater flexibility in the three-language formula claiming that no language should be imposed on any state. The policy states that students can learn any three languages as long as two of the three languages are native to India.
Maharashtra Education Minister Dadu Bhuse on June 26 announced that students in Class 1 and 2 will only be instructed on the speaking skills of the third language, with reading and writing components commencing from Class 3 onwards. Amid political uproar and public protests, the Maharashtra government withdrew two resolutions related to its contentious three-language policy for schools on June 29 and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that a new committee, headed by educationist and economist Dr. Narendra Jadhav, will now review the policy and suggest the way forward.
Reunion With Eyes On Upcoming Polls
Mumbai and several other cities in Maharashtra are supposed to hold elections for local bodies soon.
The common agenda between Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS against the BJP backed alliance government in the state will gain momentum.
During the assembly elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) managed to win only 20 seats out of the 92 it contested and MNS who fought alone, suffered an bigger blow by losing all 135 seats it contested.
Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde's faction won 57 seats and formed the government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and Ajit Pawar's faction of Nationalist Congress Party. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance won 235 seats in the 288-member assembly in Maharashtra last year.
