• Source:JND
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In a major political development in Maharashtra, long-estranged cousins, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, will hold a joint rally in the state against the alleged Hindi imposition on July 5.

Although the place and timing of the rally have not been finalised yet, the announcement has confirmed the rumours and speculation over the Thackeray reunion, which was sparked by comments from both Shiv Sena UBT and Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS). Speaking about the rally, Shiv Sena UBT leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Rait clarified that they are not against Hindi but its forceful imposition.

He said, "We are not against Hindi, but its implementation should not be done forcefully. Uddhav Thackeray has also adopted the stance taken by Raj Thackeray. There will be one rally on July 5. We will discuss where the rally will go and the timing."

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Raut said, "We are not against any language. We have always respected Hindi. People like us have always valued it. Our party uses Hindi in many ways. But the recent decision to make Hindi compulsory as the third language up to Class 4 under the 'Three Language Policy' puts an unnecessary burden on children. It is both an academic and a linguistic issue."

Raut revealed that earlier, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray had planned separate protests on July 6 and July 7, respectively, on the same issue.

"It was not good that two separate rallies would be taken out. I discussed with Uddhav and Raj Thackeray. Both Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS will jointly begin this movement on July 5," he stated. Raut also took a sharp dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of orchestrating political damage to Maharashtra.

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"We are not enemies of the Hindi language. But Amit Shah is certainly Maharashtra's political enemy. He is the one who broke Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena by manipulating the Election Commission and the Supreme Court. Why should we listen to someone like him?" he said, referring to the 2022 split in Shiv Sena and the subsequent legal battles over the party's name and symbol.

On June 24, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the final decision regarding the three-language formula will be taken only after discussions with literateurs, language experts, political leaders, and all other concerned parties.

(With ANI Inputs)