Raj Thackeray Alleges Hindi Imposition Is an Attempt to Break Mumbai from Maharashtra

Mumbai, 5th July 2025: Launching a scathing attack on the Maharashtra and Central governments, Raj Thackeray, speaking at the Vijayi Melava jointly held by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), alleged that the move to impose Hindi is a calculated attempt to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. The rally, held in Worli, marked the first time in two decades that cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray came together for a political cause.

Raj Thackeray said, “The Hindi language is only about 200 years old. During the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, it didn’t even exist. So for what and for whom is this being done? This is just a test, they poked the language issue to see if it would work, to gauge whether Mumbai can be separated. If Maharashtra remains quiet now, they will push forward. They should dare try touching Mumbai, is this a joke? Just because we’re silent doesn’t mean we’re a**holes!”

He went on to address allegations of hypocrisy, saying, “They said the Thackeray children studied in English-medium schools. So what? Dada Bhuse studied in Marathi-medium and became the Education Minister. Devendra Fadnavis studied in English-medium and became the Chief Minister. What does that have to do with anything? We have a list of politicians whose children are studying abroad, what about that? And have you ever listened to the Hindi spoken by some of the ministers in the Cabinet? You’d collapse! These kinds of questions are only asked in Maharashtra, nowhere else.”