A vintage video of Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray has surfaced on the internet during the ongoing battle for language identity in Maharashtra.
While in the video, Thackeray was draped in a saffron shawl, he can be heard saying, "I may be Marathi in Maharashtra but I am Hindu in Bharat," reflecting his sympathy for Hindutva instead of regional linguistic identities.
The clip went viral on X (formerly Twitter) in the late hours of Saturday evening, barely a day following a politically charged 'victory rally' in Mumbai where Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray stood together on stage after two decades of estrangement.
The cousins reunited celebrating the reversal by the Maharashtra government of a contentious order that had made Hindi compulsory as the default language of primary school education.
During his address, Uddhav, who has been struggling to revive his father's ideological heritage in the wake of a challenge posed by Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction, announced that he and Raj would contest the next election to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) together. He repeated Bal Thackeray's nationalism with the promise, "We will not let the BJP impose Hindi on our people," and made an appeal for Marathi-speaking citizens' unity.
Raj Thackeray, ever the defiant orator, took it one step further. "Try to touch Maharashtra and see what happens," he threatened, implying that the three-language policy of the central government—a central aspect of the 2020 National Education Policy (NEP)—was a subtle design to cut off Mumbai from Maharashtra. The same policy has invited backlash in Tamil Nadu, where the leaders have also blamed the centre for cultural imposition.
The Maharashtra language controversy deepened after the state government released an order in April requiring Hindi from Class I to V. Opposition parties interpreted the action as one of a larger drive for the imposition of Hindi, and this led to mass protests by pro-Marathi groups.
In reply to the outcry, the state amended the policy last month. Although Hindi was set as the default third language, students were allowed to opt out—provided a minimum of 20 classmates also did so, a level education specialists described as unrealistic. Grievances persisted, framing the language issue as a bitter political fight between the Mahayuti coalition (constituting the BJP, Sena led by Shinde, and NCP) and the opposition.
Unfortunately, the language battle also translated into the streets. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) members were filmed beating a Mumbai shopkeeper and an individual in Pune for supposedly not speaking Marathi and denouncing Raj. Another shocking video, captured within the premises of an MP from Uddhav's Shiv Sena (UBT) party, demonstrated mobile store staff being slapped.
In spite of the public outcry, the attackers saw little action. All seven were questioned briefly and released on bail, raising questions about police inaction.
As elections approach, the Maharashtra government has to balance central policy with local sensitivities. The BJP, the main party in the Mahayuti alliance, has to tread a tightrope: being pro-centre in its Hindi-first initiative without upsetting the state's pro-Marathi vote bank, which has significant clout.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has denounced the violence, vowing tough action against MNS workers who were involved. But he also stressed the cultural importance of the Marathi language, claiming the language has to be "respected" in its native state.
Read also| Watch| Uddhav Thackeray Responds to ‘Gundagiri’ Allegations: “Yes, We’re Goons”
