Uddhav and Raj Thackeray To Reunite On Stage After 20 Years, Congress & NCP To Skip
In a landmark moment for Maharashtra politics, estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray to share a public stage for the first time in two decades today. The two leaders have reunited for a “mega victory gathering” at the NSCI Dome in Worli, Mumbai, signalling a potential new political alignment in the state ahead of crucial local body polls.
The rally, which will began at 10 am on Saturday, is being held to celebrate the state government’s recent decision to scrap its controversial three-language policy for primary schools, a move that came after intense pressure from both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The event is being seen as a formal step towards a political reunion of the two Thackeray-led parties, both founded on the principle of Marathi pride.
The joint rally, however, has highlighted potential new rifts within the larger opposition alliance. Key Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners, the Congress and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), have chosen to skip the event. NCP founder Sharad Pawar cited prior commitments, while the Congress expressed concerns over its non-Marathi vote base ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
The gathering in Worli will drawn a large crowd, including eminent personalities from Marathi literature, arts, and education. The event, titled ‘Marathicha Awaaz’ (The Voice of Marathi), has been carefully branded to focus on the language issue rather than party politics, with no party flags or symbols being used.
The controversy erupted after the Maharashtra education department issued resolutions to make Hindi a compulsory or default third language for students from Class 1, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP). Following a fierce backlash led by the Thackeray cousins, who termed it a “linguistic imposition,” the state government officially scrapped the two resolutions on Sunday.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has since announced that a new committee, headed by veteran educationist Dr. Narendra Jadhav, will be formed to comprehensively review the language policy and decide on the appropriate stage and method for introducing new languages to students.
