Uddhav, Raj confirm joint victory rally on July 5

Opposition to three-language policy to continue irrespective of recommendations of govt appointed committee, both cousins say

A day after the BJP-led Mahayuti government scrapped two government resolutions (GR) to introduce Hindi as the third language in schools from class 1, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday confirmed that a joint victory rally would be held on July 5. Addressing the media separately during the day, the Thackeray cousins reiterated their opposition to the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and said they would continue to oppose it irrespective of the recommendations of the committee headed by Narendra Jadhav.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers celebrate after the Maharashtra State Government revoked the three-language policy (PTI)

The committee has been constituted by the state government to recommend ways to proceed with the three-language formula. It has been asked to submit its report within three months.

Sources in Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS said the joint victory rally could be held either at a large ground like Shivaji Park or involve a march culminating in a public meeting in front of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters in Fort.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS had earlier planned to hold a joint protest rally on July 5 against the imposition of Hindi on school students. But after the Devendra Fadnavis-led government scrapped the two GRs on Sunday, Uddhav Thackeray said the protest rally would be converted into a victory rally and urged the MNS and other pro-Marathi parties and civil society organisations to join the programme.

On Monday morning, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut told reporters that he had spoken to Raj Thackeray about the plan to hold a victory rally on July 5.

“Now, Raj Thackeray will announce his decision,” Raut said.

Around two hours later, Raj Thackeray addressed a press conference and confirmed that he would hold a joint rally with his estranged cousin on July 5.

“If the joint protest march had happened, it would have created an atmosphere like the Samyukta Maharashtra (statehood) movement,” Raj Thackeray said, comparing the widespread protests against the Mahayuti government’s bid to make Hindi a compulsory third language in primary schools with the movement for a linguistic state in the 1950s that led to the creation of Maharashtra on May 1, 1960.

Thackeray said Sanjay Raut called him after the government scrapped the GRs and proposed to hold a victory rally on the same date to celebrate the unity of the Marathi manoos.

“There will be a joint rally now on July 5. We will finalise the venue and timing after discussions,” he said.

He thanked the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) for supporting him in stalling the imposition of Hindi on school students and said his opposition to Hindi as a compulsory third language would continue irrespective of the report submitted by the Narendra Jadhav committee.

Uddhav Thackeray too mocked the government’s decision to appoint a committee under Narendra Jadhav, saying he was an economist and not an educationist.

“I respect Narendra Jadhav but it’s strange that the BJP government has appointed a committee under an economist on the issue related to education policy,” Uddhav told reporters in the premises of the state legislature in the afternoon. “Let me be clear that we will not allow the introduction of a compulsory third language irrespective of reports submitted by any committee to the state government.”

Uddhav Thackeray also stressed on the need for the Marathi manoos to stay united and said the joint victory rally on July 5 would be a show of strength. “The government cancelled the orders to break the unity of the Marathi manoos. But we should stay united and participate in the July 5 victory rally,” he said, urging Marathi speakers to stay vigilant about conspiracies against them.