There is a Maratha Victory Day rally of Thackeray brothers, former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and MNS President Raj Thackeray, on 5 July in Maharashtra. After about 20 years, the two brothers will be on one stage together. Obviously, an attempt will be made to shine politics by connecting Maratha Asmita with Marathi language. After inciting the fire of the Hindi-Marathi linguistic dispute, the two brothers are on the target of BJP leader and Maharashtra Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane. Rane has challenged the intention of both brothers.
The atmosphere in Maharashtra is tense after the beating of a businessman due to Marathi not speaking Marathi in Meera-Bhayander. Nitesh Rane, linking the incident to the Hindu-Muslim issue, has challenged the Thackeray brothers to go to Muslim-dominated areas and call them Marathi. Obviously, if the Thackeray brothers have got the real challenge. If they accept this challenge, then they can fall into many difficulties. As of now, there has been no response from the Thackeray brothers on the Challenge of Rane. It is clear that Thackeray brothers are avoiding Rane’s statement. Otherwise, at least at least Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut’s statement would have come.
Nitesh Rane, in a TV interview on 3 July 2025, challenged the Thackeray brothers and said that if there is courage, then go to Muslim -dominated areas like Nal Bazaar and Mohammad Ali Road and call Marathi. Why do they show their strength only on poor Hindus? Do Javed Akhtar and Aamir Khan speak Marathi? We will not tolerate it. Rane accused the Thackeray brothers of promoting the jihadi mentality, linking the issue with Hindu-Muslim polarization.
Rane’s challenge was not only a response to MNS violence, but is also a strategy to weaken the politics of Marathi identity of the Thackeray brothers. On 5 July 2025, Marathi Asmita will be further instigated at Raj and Uddhav Thackeray’s Marathi Victory Day rally. Rane calls it an opportunistic alliance.
There can be no two opinions in this that despite the atmosphere of Mumbai, no leader of the country is coming forward in the favorite of Hindi speakers. The yogurt of Maharashtra government and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has froze. BJP leaders are also calm. Unfortunately, the anti -BJP leaders of North India, especially UP and Bihar, are also avoiding speaking anything on this issue. Had there been any other case, parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD would have prepared against the BJP government in protest against the BJP. But no leader who challenged the Thackeray brothers for the poor Hindi speakers came forward.
At such a time, Nitesh Rane has emerged as a troubleshooter in favor of Hindi speakers. For the first time in Maharashtra politics, Raj Thackeray has been challenged in his style. Rane challenges that if you have courage, then go to the tap market or Mohammad Ali Road and show Marathi. … If there is power, then kill someone here under the ear. Why do you kill the poor shopkeeper, Javed Akhtar and Aamir Khan have the courage to get Marathi out of the mouth? It is obvious that both Thackeray brothers have no courage to respond to Nitesh Rane’s challenge. Actually this is difficult with Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray.
If Uddhav and Raj Thackeray accept the challenge of Nitesh Rane and try to apply Marathi in Muslim -majority areas, then they can definitely get into difficulties. The attempt to apply Marathi in Muslim -dominated areas (eg tap market, Dongri) can be seen as religious discrimination. Ever since Uddhav Thackeray joined Maha Vikas Aghadi, he has started doing secular politics in contrast to his father Bala Saheb Thackeray. If you take an aggressive attitude with Muslims, then neither will the Congress meet and the way to BJP has already been closed.
The same is difficult for Raj Thackeray. For a long time, a political party has agreed to walk with him. Raj Thackeray, who has fallen alone in Maharashtra politics, is very important for someone. It is obvious that after 20 years, the family has got support after 20 years.
Anyway, there is nothing for Raj Thackeray to lose. Even after his millions of attempts, MNS could not make its inroads in Maharashtra. The condition is that the party has only one MLA. There is not a single MP. Raj Thackeray wants to win some seats by taking his brother Uddhav Thackeray in BMC elections. It is obvious that by provoking language dispute, they may have some benefit in BMC elections. But if this language dispute for his brother Uddhav Thackeray changes in Hindutva vs Marathi, then he is only going to suffer loss.
Uddhav’s father Shiv Sena founder Bala Saheb Thackeray did the first language politics. But later he started the politics of Hindutva to increase his canvas. Through the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, he became popular as a Hindu heart emperor all over India. But his son Uddhav wants to excuse the vomiting Ganga. After Uddhav doing hard core Hindutva politics, now it is again on the path of linguistic politics. It is obvious that if the Thackeray brothers get a challenge from Hindutva, then it can also be difficult for their existence.
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