Thackeray Brothers Unity Sparks BJP Taunts Over “Jihadi Rally” Claim

Uddhav Thackeray While appearing together in public after 20 years, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and the Marathi Nationalist Party (MNS) head Raj Thackeray addressed the public. They also joined in the fight so-called enforcement of Hindi language in the state by the Maharashtra government as reported by PTI. In the context of the reunion of the Thackeray brothers, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party has responded to this common rally where some have said that this is a step towards appeasing the people and this is an anti-Hindu event.

Maharashtra BJP president Ashish Shelar lashed out at Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena that their rally in Mumbai on Saturday was a public appeasement exercise towards elections than towards any language-related issue.

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In a post on social media network X, Ashish Shelar criticised Shiv Sena (UBT), saying, "This isn't about language but a public appeal for the elections!! With the municipal elections approaching, the panicked Ubatha Sena (a mocking term for Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena) has suddenly remembered “brotherhood.”

He further added, "Today's so-called family get-together in Worli was a public appeasement event for the very brother they once threw out of the house. There is no real love for language involved here... and they've never truly cared for it anyway! This is nothing but a desperate scramble to regain power in the municipal corporation, so they can once again loot Mumbai. Mr Uddhav Thackeray's handshake with Raj Thackeray is nothing but “Trying to win the family truce because they know they'll lose the election!”

In the meantime, the Minister Nitesh Rane criticized both Raj Thackeray and Uddav Thackeray in organizing the common rally in Mumbai, calling this a jihadi and anti Hindu congregation that is meant to divide the society and to weaken the state.

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“We are Hindus and also proud Marathi. The way jihadis attempt to divide our society, these people are doing the same. Be it (banned) Popular Front of India (PFI) or Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) who work against the idea of a Hindu Rashtra, these two (Thackerays) are no different. They are trying to weaken the state,” PTI quoted Rane while he was speaking to the reporters on Friday.

The BJP leader said, “The Worli meeting is aimed at dividing Hindus and Marathi people. It can be equated with the rallies of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), PFI or SIMI. It will cause the biggest damage to Hindus in the state. It is an anti-Hindu rally."

But a senior BJP member and former minister Sudhir Mungantiwar applauded the reconciliation of the Thackeray brothers.

"If Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray are coming together, it's a good thing. They have our best wishes. The two brothers should unite and stay united. If necessary, both parties should even consider merging," PTI quoted Mungantiwar.

Chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), Uddhav Thackeray, and MNS leader Raj Thackeray came out in the open in opposition to the use of Hindi imposed by the Maharashtra government. The BJP leaders had criticised their rally due to appeasement to the masses before the elections.

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