Raj Thackeray instructs party leaders to not let protest lose steam; accuses BJP of trying to divide Marathi voters
Raj Thackeray felicitates prominent Marathi personalities at the Abhijat Book Exhibition organised by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on the occasion of Marathi Bhasha Diwas at Shivaji Park, Dadar, on February 27. File pic/Rane Ashish
The BJP-led Maharashtra government’s move to make Hindi mandatory in all schools across the state seems to have handed a political lifeline to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls—at a time when the party is still reeling from a string of electoral defeats.
On Thursday, MNS chief Raj Thackeray warned the government not to proceed with its decision to enforce Hindi as a compulsory subject across the state. A day later, he convened a meeting of party leaders, instructing them to continue agitating and to mobilise public support against the government’s move. “Rajsaheb has instructed us not to let go of this issue. Write to people and seek their participation in this protest,” said an MNS leader.
Like several critics, leaders from both the MNS and Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) Shiv Sena camp believe the change in education policy is politically motivated, aimed at influencing the upcoming BMC elections. “Dividing Marathi votes and polarising non-Marathi voters is likely to benefit the BJP,” said a political observer.
MNS president Raj Thackeray at a function at Shivaji Park, Dadar. File pic/Rane Ashish
Last year, on the day of the Assembly poll results, mid-day reported in a story titled: “Next on BJP’s horizon—BMC elections”, that the party’s central and state leadership had set their sights on India’s richest civic body. The BMC elections were initially scheduled for early 2022, but polls for the 227 corporator seats have been pending for nearly three years. The last BMC elections were held on February 21, 2017. Elections for the BMC and other municipal bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are expected by the end of 2025.
Veteran political journalist Prakash Akolkar believes Uddhav Thackeray’s Hindutva vote bank has already been dented, and the government’s new policy aims to weaken Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Marathi voter base ahead of civic polls.
Akolkar pointed out that the timing of the move is suspect. “Within 24 hours of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde meeting Raj Thackeray, the GR was issued. More importantly, it was the MNS chief who first raised the red flag. This looks scripted, with twin aim of dividing Marathi votes and propping up MNS to undercut the UBT faction.”
Raj and UBT leader Sanjay Raut have openly stated that the government’s push for Hindi is a calculated ploy to split Marathi votes before the BMC elections. In a veiled attack on the ruling BJP, Thackeray said the language row was a deliberate attempt to pit one Marathi against another for political gain. “For personal benefit, these people (read: BJP) want to incite the public. Marathi-speaking people must understand the game behind this move,” he tweeted.
He also appealed to other political parties to take pride in Marathi identity to oppose the decision. “Today, they’re making language compulsory. Tomorrow there will be more diktats. MNS will not tolerate this at any cost,” Raj warned in his post.
Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had launched the party in 1966 to fight injustice against the “sons of the soil.” His estranged nephew, Raj, broke away and launched the MNS in 2006 on a similar plank.
Since its inception, Raj has positioned himself as a champion of Marathi pride. That positioning paid off in 2009, when the MNS won 13 Assembly seats with a vote share of 5.71 per cent.
However, the party failed to sustain its early momentum. In the 2024 Assembly elections, the MNS managed just 1.81 per cent of the vote and failed to win a single seat. According to the Election Commission’s rules, a party’s recognition can be revoked if it fails to win a seat and secure at least eight per cent of the vote, or meet other vote-seat ratio criteria.
Unsurprisingly, the MNS is now leaving no stone unturned in opposing the government’s Hindi mandate. The Congress and the UBT faction of Shiv Sena have also voiced their opposition.
Other side
Those alleging a BJP-MNS nexus in the language row are making baseless claims, as they have nothing substantial to offer. “When it comes to Marathi pride and language, the MNS does not indulge in politics. The outrage and protest over the language issue stem purely from respect and love for Marathi,” MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande told mid-day.
History of civic polls
Shiv Sena-BJP had an alliance and ruled BMC for over two decades. However, India's oldest and longest political alliance, which was inked on the Hindutva agenda, saw a split.
Both saffron parties decided to contest BMC polls separately which worked in favour of the BJP as its tally jumped from 31 (in 2012 elections) to 82 seats in 2017. Of the total 227 seats, in 2017, Shiv Sena (then undivided Sena) won 84 of them while the BJP bagged 82. Uddhav Thackeray’s party then bagged 30.41% of the vote share compared to the BJP’s 28.28 per cent.
Then MNS had bagged 8.52 per cent of votes. For the coming civic polls, the alleged aim to divide Marathi votes is nothing but a game plan to bridge the gap between the number of seats won and voting percentage too, in comparison to Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena camp.
Despite repeated attempts, state BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye was unavailable for comment.
27
No. of corporator seats in Mumbai
2017
Year BMC elections were last held
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