BJP not backing down, to 'take truth to people' ahead of polls

Plan to hold joint rally against the govt move on July 5 in Mumbai

- Surendra P Gangan

MUMBAI: The possibility of the Thackeray cousins reuniting before the local body elections, tentatively scheduled after October, got a renewed spurt of energy with the chiefs of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray respectively, announcing a joint protest rally on July 5 in Mumbai against the ruling Mahayuti government's "imposition of Hindi" in primary schools from the 2025-26 academic session, as part of the union government's move to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The announcement was made by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday, which was backed by MNS Mumbai chief Sandeep Deshpande separately. Opposition parties, including Sena (UBT) and MNS, and activists and litterateurs, have criticised the state's decision to adopt the three-language policy for primary schools with Hindi as the mandatory third language, terming it an "indirect imposition", from the time it was announced on April 16.

While Raj and Uddhav had decided to hold the protest marches on July 6 and 7 respectively, a phone conversation between Raj and Raut on Thursday evening set the stage for this crucial political development.

"Jai Maharashtra. There will be a single and united march against compulsory Hindi in Maharashtra schools. Thackeray is the brand," Raut posted on X on Friday, along with an old picture of the cousins in one frame, and tagged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union home minister Amit Shah. "Raj Thackeray called me to say there should be a common protest march of Marathi people; not two separate ones," Raut told media persons. "I told Uddhav Thackeray about it; he immediately accepted and the date for the joint rally was finalised."

Deshpande confirmed the move soon after, stating the cousins were coming together in a march organised "in the interest of Marathi language".