In a major political development, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, shared the public stage together for the first time in nearly two decades. Speaking at a rally in Mumbai on Saturday, Uddhav declared, "We have come together to stay together."
Sharing the stage with Raj Thackeray, Uddhav said, "After many years, Raj Thackeray and I have shared the stage once again. Raj addressed me as 'Honourable Uddhav Thackeray'… and I say the same, 'Honourable Raj Thackeray', his work too is significant."
Top quotes by Uddhav Thackeray
The former Maharashtra CM emphasised that their reunion was not temporary. "Today, more important than my speech is the fact that we have come together. The distance between us has ended. We have come together to stay united,”
Uddhav took a strong stance against the central and state governments’ attempts to impose Hindi on Maharashtra, "We accept Hindustan, but we will not tolerate the forced imposition of Hindi. Power comes and goes, but our strength should lie in our unity."
He reflected on past political differences and called for long-term unity among Marathi leaders, "Whenever a crisis arises, we come together, but once it passes, we drift apart. Now, we must always stay united. During the assembly elections, we thought they were dividing people on the basis of Hindu and Muslim, but they ended up creating a divide among Marathis themselves."
Thackeray cousins reunite after 20 years
After two decades, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray came together on a public stage, marking a significant political reunion. The event, titled ‘Awaj Marathicha’, was organised to celebrate the Maharashtra government’s decision to roll back two government resolutions (GRs) that mandated Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state-run schools.
Uddhav also declared that he and Raj would work together to take control of the Mumbai civic body and eventually the state.
