In a sharp jibe at Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday likened his speech at the joint rally with Raj Thackeray to a "rudali" (professional mourner) performance rather than a victory celebration, reported PTI.
Speaking after the Worli event, where the Thackeray cousins shared the stage for the first time in years to mark the rollback of government orders mandating Hindi as a third language in state schools from Class 1, Fadnavis said, "It was supposed to be a vijay (victory) rally, but turned out to be a rudali speech."
"Rudali" refers to professional female mourners traditionally hired to express grief at funerals in parts of Rajasthan and other regions.
The report says that Fadnavis "thanked" Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for jokingly crediting him with achieving what even Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray couldn’t , bringing the two estranged cousins together.
"Balasaheb Thackeray must be blessing me. They claim it was a Vijay Utsav but it ended up being a rudali darshan,” Fadnavis quipped.
Taking a dig at Uddhav, the chief minister said the rally barely touched upon the Marathi language issue and instead became a platform to complain about the fall of his government and discuss ways to return to power.
"Despite ruling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for 25 years, they could not bring real development to Mumbai. On the other hand, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, we have transformed the city," Fadnavis asserted.
Highlighting the government’s redevelopment efforts, Fadnavis said the BJP-led alliance had provided Marathi people their rightful homes in the BDD and Patra chawls, a move that, he claimed, made the Uddhav-led faction uncomfortable.
Reaffirming his political identity, Fadnavis said, "I am proud to be Marathi and Hindu. Today, both Marathi and non-Marathi people stand with us."
Earlier on Saturday at the Worli rally, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray set aside their decades-long political rivalry and came together, vowing to stay united and fight future civic elections jointly.
Uddhav declared that the cousins would reclaim power in Mumbai and Maharashtra, while Raj, in a lighter vein, credited Fadnavis for managing to bring them together, task even Balasaheb Thackeray couldn’t accomplish. Both leaders used the rally to attack the BJP, accusing it of attempting to divide Maharashtrians and impose Hindi on the state.
The event, marked by a charged atmosphere and massive turnout of Sena (UBT) and MNS supporters, is seen as a potential political lifeline for the two parties, which have struggled to regain footing after recent election setbacks.
Meanwhile, the Congress reminded the Thackeray cousins that the Maharashtra government’s rollback of the Hindi language policy was the result of widespread opposition from various sections across the state, not just their protest.
Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the introduction of Hindi as a third language from Class 1 had triggered strong, state-wide resistance. “It’s fine if Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray claim credit for the withdrawal of the GRs. If they come together politically, our best wishes,” Chavan told PTI.
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal also pointed out that while the Thackerays celebrated the decision, the real pushback came from collective efforts across civil society. Sapkal said he had personally reached out to 600 individuals from different walks of life and organised a series of meetings with educationists and Marathi language experts to oppose the move. “Everyone fought against the imposition of Hindi from grade one in state schools,” Sapkal said.
