Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray, the president of Shiv Sena UBT, has accused the BJP and RSS of provoking disputes over the language issue, following their previous attempts to stir tensions over religious matters. In a speech at the party’s training camp on Sunday, Thackeray said, “RSS members, who sit on rooftops with sticks meant for drying clothes, are now teaching patriotism. They have no connection to the country’s independence struggle or the fight for a united Maharashtra. Yet, they hold the reins of the nation. After stirring fights over gods, they are now causing discord over language.”
Thackeray also took aim at RSS leader Bhayyaji Joshi, who had stated last week that newcomers to Mumbai need not learn Marathi. He emphasized that while there is no hatred towards Gujarat, BJP and RSS’s actions were encouraging regional linguistic division. “In Maharashtra, we are Marathi; in Ghatkopar, the language is Gujarati. Don’t teach us our identity,” he said, accusing the BJP and RSS of having played a role in dividing the struggle for a unified Maharashtra.
He stressed that the battle is not a political one, but one for the preservation of the Marathi language and the state’s identity. Thackeray questioned the BJP’s claim to patriotism, stating, “It was Balasaheb Thackeray’s stance that India should not play a match with Pakistan until Pakistan adopts a friendly stance towards us. Yet, now BJP and RSS are teaching us patriotism.”
Addressing a comment by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, who had criticized his governance, Thackeray responded, “You are not Uddhav Thackeray and can never be. During the pandemic, I ensured that essential projects, like Metro and Coastal Road, continued. You cannot compare yourself to me.”
He also asserted that Shiv Sena, not the BJP, was behind key infrastructure achievements such as the Coastal Road project, claiming that he was the one who laid the foundation stone for it. Thackeray declared that Shiv Sena would return to power, promising to defeat their political opponents decisively.