‘Thackeray is the brand’: Marathi the glue, Uddhav and Raj to now share stage

For one, the protest comes amidst the subtle suggestions by Uddhav’s Sena (UBT) about joining hands with Raj’s MNS.

Two, and more crucially, it is being organised ahead of the civic polls in Maharashtra and at a time when the MNS and the Sena (UBT) are struggling to reclaim political space. A partnership before the local civic polls could give Uddhav and his cadre a much-needed boost while helping Raj secure lost ground.

All eyes then will be on the July 5 joint march as it might pave the way for potential political reconciliation between the first cousins.

The two leaders announced separate protests against the three-language formula on Thursday, claiming it was a way of “Hindi imposition” in Maharashtra. Raj, who has been leading the charge against the move, said he would hold a “Virat Morcha” on July 6 at the Girgaon Chowpatty. Uddhav announced support for a rally at Azad Maidan that is being organised by activist Deepak Pawar a day later.

The parallel announcements sparked confusion for a while. Within hours, the two sides began communicating with each other. By Thursday evening, Raj reportedly called Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut with the suggestion of a common protest. Raut is said to have taken the proposal to Uddhav who agreed to it “immediately”.

Early Friday morning, Raut posted a photo of the two cousins together on X. “There will be a single and united march against compulsory Hindi in Maharashtra schools. Thackeray is the brand,” he captioned the image.

Sources said the protest would be “non-political, open to all, and without party flags” and is aimed at “evoking a larger Marathi cultural solidarity”.

Opposing the policy, which critics say makes Hindi the default third language, fits squarely into the foundational ethos of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS.

Uddhav and Raj’s grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray was one of the leading faces of the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement that led to the splitting of Maharashtra and Gujarat on a linguistic basis. The late Bal Thackeray — who is Uddhav’s father and Raj’s uncle – launched the Shiv Sena in 1966 as a party to protect the rights and cultural primacy of Marathi youth in Mumbai’s job market.

The language issue, therefore, carries not just emotional but ideological weight for the Sena and the MNS.

Raj had quit the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005 after reportedly “feeling sidelined” in the party. But when he launched the MNS in 2006, he did not divorce himself from the Sena ideology. He positioned it as a torchbearer of Marathi pride.

While Marathi pride has been a common rallying point, Raj and Uddhav have been at loggerheads.

There were attempts earlier too to unite Raj and Uddhav. However, MNS sources claim that there was hesitation from Uddhav’s side. The fact that they have agreed to come together now signals a thaw in relations.

In April, the Maharashtra government introduced a government order that had said that three languages will be taught from Class 1 with Hindi being the mandatory third language. The established practice in Maharashtra has been to introduce a language to students in secondary school or after class 5.

The order was withdrawn after criticism, with an assurance that a new GR will be issued to clarify that Hindi will only just be an “option” for third language.

Earlier this month, a new order was issued by the state government that removed the word “mandatory” in the language policies for the state board. However, with restrictive conditions on alternatives to Hindi as a third language, many are claiming this is just a “new push” for Hindi by the state government.

Raj has taken the most aggressive stand on the issue. MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said Raj would take the protest against the three-language formula forward.

“We will reach out to all parties that stand for Marathi… This is not Raj Thackeray or Uddhav Thackeray’s protest. This is every Marathi person’s protest,” Deshpande said. He added the July 5 rally would “change” Maharashtra’s political landscape.