After the Maharashtra government's decision to withdraw Hindi as a mandatory third language in Classes I to V, estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray appeared together for the first time in nearly 20 years, symbolically united in their opposition to Hindi imposition in primary education. However, the Uddhav Sena has carefully clarified that their resistance is not against the Hindi language or culture itself, but against its forced inclusion in early education.
Sanjay Raut, a senior leader of Uddhav’s faction, emphasized this distinction:
“We speak Hindi... our fight is only against the strictness for Hindi in primary schools.”
He contrasted their stance with that of Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, whose opposition to Hindi imposition is far broader — rooted in Tamil Nadu's long-standing Dravidian ideology that resists central linguistic dominance. While welcoming Stalin's solidarity, Raut made it clear that Maharashtra's protest does not extend to limiting the use of Hindi in public life, cinema, or culture.
MK Stalin, for his part, saw the cousins' rally as a sign that Tamil Nadu's anti-Hindi imposition legacy is influencing broader national discourse. In a statement on X, he celebrated the Maharashtra event as part of a "storm of protest" now crossing state lines.
This episode reflects a few important political currents:
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A soft assertion of regional identity in Maharashtra — resisting central mandates without alienating Hindi-speaking citizens.
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A cautious political alliance between the Thackeray cousins, potentially significant for future state-level elections.
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National reverberations of Tamil Nadu’s language politics, with Stalin positioning the DMK as a defender of linguistic federalism beyond the south.
In essence, this is not an anti-Hindi movement, but an anti-imposition stance, asserting regional autonomy in education policy while respecting linguistic diversity.
