Raj and Uddhav to take out joint protest from Girgaon to Azad Maidan against state’s three-language policy; Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande confirmed that both parties had mutually decided to hold a united rally instead of two separate marches
Uddhav Thackeray. Pic/Kirti Surve Parade (right) Raj Thackeray. Pic/Rane Ashish
Burying their political differences, estranged Thackeray cousins — Raj and Uddhav — have agreed to come together for a joint protest march on July 5 in Mumbai. The rally, aimed at opposing the imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra’s school curriculum, will begin at Girgaon Chowpatty and culminate at Azad Maidan.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande confirmed that both parties had mutually decided to hold a united rally instead of two separate marches. “I received a call from MNS chief Raj Thackeray suggesting we have one joint protest. I conveyed this to Uddhav Saheb, and without a moment’s hesitation, he agreed,” Raut said during a press briefing on Friday morning.
Shortly after, Deshpande also addressed the media. When asked whether this unity would extend to future elections, he said, “This decision is solely for the Marathi language issue. It’s about showing the unity of the Marathi Manoos. Whether we will align politically is something Rajsaheb will decide.” Notably, mid-day on Friday, had reported about the two leaders planning separate rallies despite shared anger over the language issue.
In April, the Mahayuti alliance (comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP) issued a government resolution stating that Maharashtra would implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s three-language format, with Hindi as the third language. Facing backlash, the government clarified that Hindi would be optional, not mandatory. However, critics have slammed this as a backdoor attempt to promote Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking regions. Under the NEP, two of the three languages must be Indian, with one being the regional language.
Angered by the state’s refusal to withdraw the circular (mandating the three-language format from Std I to VI), Raj Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray, and several pro-Marathi organisations, including educators, poets, and writers, have vowed to fight the move together.
Meanwhile, the BJP has doubled down on its criticism of the UBT faction and the protest rally. Mumbai BJP president and state minister Ashish Shelar said, “The government has made Marathi mandatory; Hindi is only optional. The three-language system is designed for the holistic development of children. If this is politicised, we will respond politically.”
BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhyay added that it was, in fact, the previous Uddhav-led government that accepted the Raghunath Mashelkar committee’s recommendation for three languages to be taught from Std I to XII.
Senior BJP leader Ravindra Chavan also claimed that it was Uddhav’s government that first attempted to impose Hindi in Maharashtra. “CM Devendra Fadnavis should be credited for reversing that and making Marathi mandatory,” Chavan said. UBT leader Anil Parab refuted these claims. “We never implemented the Mashelkar Committee report. The current government is misleading the people,” he said.
‘I received a call from MNS chief Raj Thackeray suggesting we have one joint protest. I conveyed this to Uddhav Saheb, and without a moment’s hesitation, he agreed’
- Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut
‘This decision is solely for the Marathi language issue. It’s about showing the unity of the Marathi Manoos. Whether we will align politically is something Rajsaheb will decide’
MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande
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