'What Balasaheb couldn't do, Devendra Fadnavis did': Raj Thackeray on reunion with Uddhav at joint rally in Mumbai
"Uddhav and I are coming together after 20 years… What Balasaheb Thackeray could not do, thousands others couldn't do, Devendra Fadnavis managed to do that," Raj Thackeray said in his speech in Marathi at the massive event in Worli.
The cousins' breakup had come while Bal Thackeray was alive, after he preferred his son Uddhav over Raj for Shiv Sena succession.
The reunion comes on the stated agenda of 'Marathi pride' – a plank that Bal Thackeray deployed to build his base – and in the immediate backdrop of charged statements and some hooliganism over alleged imposition of Hindi in the state.
'Why is Hindi being forced on children?' Raj said, referring to the BJP-led government's later-withdrawn decision to introduce Hindi as a third language in schools.
Uddhav in his speech after Raj said, 'When it comes to the question of language, Raj, I and everyone else here is united.'
'Yes, we are goons; if we have to be goons to get justice, we will do goondagiri,' Uddhav said emphatically, addressing charges about the Thackerays' men slapping and intimidating people, including street vendors, over their not speaking in Marathi.
'Our power on the street'
"Your power is in the legislature. We have power on the street," he added, taking credit for the rollback of the decision amid public pressure. 'The decision had been taken without consulting education experts. Just because you have power you wanted to force this,' added the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader.
He also spoke about migration from other states. 'Hindi-speaking states are economically backward. People are migrating from these states to non-Hindi-speaking states. Why has Hindi not helped them progress?' he added.
On the third-language row, he claimed, 'They just tested waters. Had this decision on Hindi been accepted quietly, the next step would have been an attempt to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.'
Leaders of the two parties appeared overjoyed on the sidelines. 'After many years, this golden time has arrived, where today both Thackerays, who are well-established brands, are coming together, not because of politics, but for the sake of Maharashtra's honour,' said Anand Dubey, a leader of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), told ANI.
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