‘Maha’ reunion in Mumbai: Top 10 things Uddhav, Raj Thackeray said in their rally

After two decades of estrangement, cousins Raj and Uddhav Thackeray reunited on Saturday (July 5) to celebrate the Maharashtra government's decision to withdraw Hindi as an optional third language.

Their rare show of unity, driven by joint resistance to the proposed three-language formula that compelled the Mahayuti government to put the policy on hold, has sparked speculation about a potential political realignment in the state. With the BMC elections nearing, the reunion of the estranged cousins is being viewed not just as a cultural protest, but as a strategically significant political move ahead of the polls.

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Here are the top 10 quotes from the speeches that the two leaders delivered at their joint event, titled ‘Awaj Marathicha’, a massive show of unity in Mumbai.

• Reflecting on reuniting with his estranged cousin Raj after almost 20 years, Uddhav Thackeray said, “We have come together to stay together... We have united to defend Marathi.” He added, “Let me tell you, our coming together is just a trailer, this is only the beginning.”

• Roaring against the Mahayuti government’s bid to introduce Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state schools, Uddhav said, “Hindu and Hindustan are acceptable, but Hindi imposition will not be tolerated. Let your seven generations come down, but we won’t let it happen.”

• Uddhav took a jibe at the ruling Mahayuti with a popular line from the film Pushpa: The Rise. “How helpless should I be? I’ve seen Pushpa. If I had a beard like him, I too would have said, ‘Jhukega nahi saala,’” he quipped during his speech at the joint rally in Mumbai.

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• “In Gujarat, the Patels were polarised while the rest were turned into a consolidated vote bank. In Haryana, the Jats were provoked and others used similarly,” Uddhav said, responding to Yogi Adityanath’s ‘batenge toh katenge’ slogan from last year’s Maharashtra Assembly polls. “We now understand what ‘batenge toh katenge’ truly means,” he added.

• Invoking the need to protect “Marathi pride,” Uddhav struck a rebellious tone, declaring, “Yes, we are goons, if being goons is what it takes to get justice, we’ll do goondagiri.” His remark appeared to be a response to criticism of Raj’s supporters reportedly slapping and intimidating individuals, including street vendors, for not speaking in Marathi.

• “What Bal Thackeray couldn’t do, what countless others failed to do, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has achieved by bringing us together,” Raj Thackeray said on stage. “You may hold power in the Vidhan Bhawan, but we hold power on the streets.”

• “Where did this three-language formula come from? It was imposed by the central government,” Raj said. “Today, proceedings in the High Court and Supreme Court are entirely in English. This isn’t the case in other states. So why only Maharashtra? When Maharashtra rises, you see what happens.”

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• “Hindi is only a 200-year-old language. Try laying a hand on Mumbai or Maharashtra, and you’ll see the consequences,” Raj warned. “Everyone should be able to speak Marathi, there’s no debate about that. If someone deliberately creates a scene, they deserve to be slapped. But that doesn’t mean people should be attacked at random.”

• “Minister Dada Bhuse approached me and asked me to hear him out. I told him, ‘I’ll listen, but I won’t be convinced,’” said Raj Thackeray. “I asked him what would the third language be in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, or Rajasthan? All the Hindi-speaking states are trailing behind us, yet we’re the ones being forced to learn Hindi. Why?”

• “Maharashtra is greater than any feud or disagreement,” said Raj Thackeray. “If we had quietly accepted the decision on Hindi, the next step would have been an attempt to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.”