A day after estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray joined hands to celebrate their victory over the Maharashtra government’s decision to roll back Hindi as a third language from Classes I to V, the Uddhav Sena on Sunday ,stating that their opposition to Hindi is limited solely to its inclusion in primary schools.
“Their stand against the imposition of Hindi means they will not speak Hindi and neither let anyone speak Hindi. But that is not our stand in Maharashtra. We speak Hindi… Our stand is that the strictness for Hindi in primary schools will not be tolerated. Our fight is limited to this,” Uddhav Sena MP Sanjay Raut said.
Clarifying that the Thackeray brothers’ stance is only against Hindi imposition in primary schools, Raut wished Stalin luck in his battle, while drawing the line.
“We haven’t stopped anyone from speaking in Hindi because we have Hindi movies, Hindi theatre, and Hindi music here… Our fight is only against the imposition of Hindi in primary education,” he added.
Hours after Uddhav and Raj Thackeray appeared on the same stage for the first time in nearly two decades, Stalin – who has been at loggerheads with the Centre over what he calls Hindi imposition – welcomed the cousins’ stance on the issue.
Taking to X, Stalin wrote: “The language rights struggle, waged generation after generation by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the people of Tamil Nadu to defeat Hindi imposition, has now transcended state boundaries and is swirling like a storm of protest in Maharashtra.”
Welcoming the reunion of the estranged cousins, Stalin said, “The enthusiasm and powerful oratory of the victory rally held today in Mumbai under the leadership of brother #UddhavThackeray against Hindi imposition fills us with immense excitement.”