Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 19: The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), seems to be heading for a re-union after 20 years for the “larger interest of Marathi and the people of Maharashtra.”
Both the cousins sounded positive on Saturday about a possible rapprochement “keeping aside their minor differences” but the first to sound the bugle was Mr Raj Thackeray, who lately was going very close to the BJP-led “Mahayuti” government in the state and seems to have taken a sudden U-turn.
Speaking at different events, the two leaders conveyed a common message that Maharashtra’s linguistic and cultural interests are above political rivalries. Both the leaders said on Saturday that they were ready to keep aside their “minor differences” aside in the larger interests of Maharashtra. Making the first move during a podcast with filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar released on Saturday, Mr Raj Thackeray said, “For me, the interest of Maharashtra is bigger while everything else is secondary… I can keep aside our minor disputes.”
Then, for good measure, the MNS chief added, “’I am ready to work with Uddhav (Thackeray) but the only question is whether he too is ready to work with me.”
In response, Uddhav Thackeray, while addressing members of the Sena (UBT)’s trade union later in the day, said he, too, was ready to put aside their disputes for the sake of the Marathi language and the people of Maharashtra. He, however, asked Raj Thackeray not to hobnob with those who are anti-Maharashtra hitting at the BJP-led three-party Mahayuti alliance.
Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, “’From our side, we are positive of joining hands with the MNS… But for that to happen, Raj Thackeray should ensure that he does not sit alongside those who do not have Maharashtra’s interest at heart.”
The Thackeray family had splintered politically in 2005 following Raj Thackeray’s decision to start his own party and he later launched the MNS. Mr Raj Thackeray said the differences between him and his cousins are proving detrimental to Maharashtra’s interests. “The disputes and fights between Uddhav and me are minor — Maharashtra is much bigger than all that. These differences are proving costly for the existence of Maharashtra and the Marathi people. Coming together is not difficult, it’s a matter of will. It’s not just about my desire or selfishness. We need to look at the bigger picture. All Marathi people across political parties should unite and form a single party,” Raj Thackeray said.
However, Raj Thackeray stressed the difference between his earlier departure from Shiv Sena in 2005 from the 2022 split led by Eknath Shinde, who broke away from Uddhav Thackeray’s faction to form a new government with the BJP. “I left Shiv Sena when MLAs and MPs were with me. Even then, I chose to walk alone because I couldn’t work under anyone except Balasaheb Thackeray. I had no objection to working with Uddhav,” he said. “The ball is in Uddhav’s court on whether he wanted an alliance, Raj said adding, “I don’t bring my ego into such small matters.” The question is – does the other side have the will to work with me?”
“If Maharashtra wants us to come together, let Maharashtra speak up,” he added. “I don’t let my ego get in the way of such matters.” Uddhav Thackeray, addressing a gathering organised by the Bhartiya Kamgar Sena, expressed a conditional openness to reconciliation.
“I’m ready to put aside petty disputes. I appeal to all Marathi people to unite in the interest of Maharashtra. But there is a condition — when we pointed out in Parliament that industries were being shifted to Gujarat, if we had united then, we could have formed a government that worked for Maharashtra. We cannot keep switching sides — supporting them one day, opposing them the next, and then compromising again,” Uddhav Thackeray said.
“For the sake of Maharashtra and the Marathi people, I’m willing to set aside minor differences. I’m appealing to all Marathi people to come together in the interest of Marathi identity,” Uddhav said at a workers’ event in Dadar. “But during the Lok Sabha elections, when we were opposing the BJP on various issues, had they (Raj Thackeray and his party) opposed the BJP at that time, their government would not have come to power at the Centre.”
“You can’t extend support one day and oppose the next. You can’t compromise when convenient. Whoever stands in the way of Maharashtra’s welfare—I won’t show them any hospitality. I won’t invite them to my home. I won’t sit alongside them,” he added.
Responding to Raj Thackeray’s remarks, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said while the MNS chief has expressed his willingness to put Maharashtra above his ego, Uddhav Thackeray has also stated that he is ready to set aside all differences for the sake of the state. “He just does not want to share a table with the enemies of Maharashtra… We will accept him,” Raut said.
The remarks come at a time when both leaders have expressed opposition to the Maharashtra government’s decision to make Hindi a compulsory subject from Classes 1 to 5 in all Marathi and English-medium schools. The policy, initiated by the BJP-led Mahayuti government, has been viewed by both parties as an affront to the Marathi language.
Uddhav and Raj Thackeray independently denounced the policy, arguing it undermines Marathi’s cultural standing, particularly ironic at a time when the BJP government has granted classical language status to Marathi. “If you are going to make Hindi compulsory, then I want to tell [Devendra] Fadnavis to make Marathi compulsory in Ghatkopar. We don’t oppose any other language,” said Uddhav Thackeray, referencing Ghatkopar, a Gujarati-dominated locality in central Mumbai.
“We want to make everyone ours. There are North Indians, Gujaratis, and now Muslims are also with us, but why do you want to disunite us? Try doing this in Tamil Nadu in front of MK Stalin. We have nothing against Hindi. But why make it compulsory?” he asked.
Raj Thackeray, weighing in on the Hindi language row, posted on social media on Friday that his party will categorically “not accept” the mandatory Hindi language in the state school syllabus. “The Central government is currently making efforts to ‘Hindify’ everywhere, and neither will it allow us to be successful in the state. Hindi is not the national language,” he wrote.
Raj Thackeray founded the MNS in 2006 after he left the Shiv Sena party due to differences with his cousin Uddhav Thackeray, as he felt sidelined by the party. For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Raj Thackeray offered his unconditional support to the state’s ruling Mahayuti alliance and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The MNS contested 135 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which yielded a resounding victory for the Mahayuti alliance. The BJP secured 132 of the 288 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) with 57 and NCP with 41. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was decimated, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning 20 seats, Congress 16, and NCP-SP 10.
Despite failing to win any seats, Raj Thackeray’s party has emerged as a significant player in Maharashtra’s political scenario, capable of forming new power dynamics. In February, both Raj and Uddhav were seen sharing a candid moment at a wedding function in Mumbai, which ignited speculation over a possible reconciliation.
