Thackeray Brothers Join Hands To Protest Against Hindi Imposition
New Delhi: In a dramatic turn of events, senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut declared that the party will hold a single, unified protest against the forced imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra schools, with Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray joining forces.
This bombshell announcement has sparked intense speculation about a potential reconciliation between the two cousins, who have long been at odds. Raut's social media post, featuring a powerful image of the two leaders alongside their iconic patriarch Bal Thackeray, has ignited rumors of a historic rapprochement and a joint protest that could shake the foundations of Maharashtra politics.
Taking to social media, Raut wrote, "There will be a single and united march against compulsory Hindi in Maharashtra schools. Thackeray is the brand!"
"There will be a single and united march against compulsory Hindi in Maharashtra schools. Thackeray is the brand!"
@Dev_Fadnavis
@AmitShah pic.twitter.com/tPv6q15Hwv — Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) June 27, 2025
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Raj Thackeray, taking to his social media, wrote, "With warm regards, Jai Maharashtra. This morning, for our Marathi language, for Maharashtra, and for the Marathi people, a morcha was announced on July 6. There is a slight change in that plan; the morcha will now take place on Saturday, July 5, at 10 AM from Girgaum to Azad Maidan. The location and all other details remain unchanged. Therefore, the media and the people of Maharashtra should take note of this change."
… pic.twitter.com/BUN1Av0GSK — Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) June 26, 2025
Earlier, close to Raj Thackeray's birthday, Uddhav Thackeray had also hinted at a rapprochement between them, but nothing concrete had come out of it.
On Thursday, MNS chief Raj Thackeray announced the change in morcha date to July 5 instead of July 6 to protest the imposition of Hindi in Marathi and English-medium schools for classes 1 to 5 in Maharashtra.
This was done as the auspicious Ashadhi Ekadashi falls on July 6, when the devotees fast for the day and walk to Pandharpur to pay tribute to the presiding deity Vitthal.
Significantly, Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday extended his party's support to a morcha organised on July 7 in Mumbai by The Tribhasha Sutra (Three language formula) committee.
Raut's post is significant because even though both the brothers and their parties had declared that they would not allow the imposition of Hindi, they had announced two different protests.
Insiders from both parties said that efforts are on to fight as one, in order to avoid a split in the Marathi-speaking people opposing the imposition of Hindi.
Now, it remains to be seen whether Sanjay Raut's post was his initiative or whether it had the blessings of the leaders of both parties, and the two estranged brothers have finally decided to come together for a cause close to their hearts and fight for it jointly.
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