THE THACKERAY RESET: ALL ROADS LEAD TO BJP

As Raj and Uddhav reunite in a show of Marathi unity, Maharashtra's political chessboard is being rapidly rearranged

- BY SWATI CHATURVEDI | Special to Gulf News

As the latest expected blockbuster released on Friday does disappointing business, Mumbai is gripped by — and in thrall to — the anticipated reunion of the Thackeray cousins.

While the reunion may surprise Mumbai, Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray both with diminishing brands and having flirted with every political ideology and party saw merit in joining forces.

The two announced a joint campaign against the imposition of Hindi in schools as a third language, besides Marathi and English. Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from the Uddhav faction, announced a united march by the cousins and rubbed it in via a social media post which proclaimed that “Thackeray was the brand.” The march was planned for July 5.

The very next moment, the Maharashtra government, led by BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, caved in publicly withdrawing the directive to make Hindi compulsory in schools. Raut crowed, “this is a victory for Marathi unity.”

The takeaway from Raut’s hyperbole “brand Thackeray” is that something else is cooking. Let’s figure out what exactly.

One CM, many grievances