'Not Anti-Hindi': Uddhav Sena Distances From Stalin's Hardline Approach Amid Language Row

Last Updated:July 07, 2025, 18:07 IST

Shiv Sena (UBT) downplayed Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin's support to Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, emphasizing their opposition to Hindi is limited to primary schools.

Uddhav Thackeray and MK Stalin. (File)

The Shiv Sena (UBT) downplayed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s support to the estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, who joined hands to celebrate their victory over the Maharashtra government’s decision to roll back Hindi as a third language from primary classes, saying that their opposition to Hindi is limited solely to its inclusion in primary schools.

After Stalin urged for unity against imposition of Hindi from Thackeray brothers, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut drew parallels between Maharashtra’s pushback on Hindi and the more hardline opposition in Tamil Nadu, saying that the party only opposed the Centre’s imposition of Hindi in primary education and it does not support a complete rejection of the language.

“The Southern states have been fighting for this issue for years. Their stand against the imposition of Hindi means they will not speak Hindi and neither let anyone speak Hindi. But that is not our stand in Maharashtra. We speak Hindi… Our stand is that the strictness for Hindi in primary schools will not be tolerated," Raut said as quoted by news agency ANI on Sunday.

After the Thackeray brothers’ victory rally last week gave fresh vigour to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to fight Hindi dominance unitedly, Raut doused the fiery endorsement and wished Stalin luck in his battle.

“MK Stalin has congratulated us on this win of ours and said that he will learn from this. We wish him the best. But we haven’t stopped anyone from speaking in Hindi because we have Hindi movies, Hindi theatre, and Hindi music here," he added.

On the allegations of BJP that the Thackerays have made the issue of Hindi-Marathi political, he said, “Yes, the two brothers have come together for politics…otherwise what have they come together for? Why have you come together with (deputy chief chief ministers) Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare…is that for social service or distribution of wealth that they had accumulated?"

MNS leader and former minister Bala Nandgaonkar also echoed similar sentiments saying that the two parties are not against Hindi. “We are against the introduction of Hindi in classes 1-5," he said.

Stalin’s Support To Thackerays

Following the rally by the Thackeray cousins in Mumbai, Stalin said that the struggle against Hindi imposition had “transcended boundaries" and that the rally filled him with “immense excitement".

“The language rights struggle, waged generation after generation by the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu to defeat Hindi imposition, has now transcended state boundaries and is swirling like a storm of protest in Maharashtra," Stalin said.

“The enthusiasm and powerful oratory of the victory rally held today in Mumbai under the leadership of brother Uddhav Thackeray against Hindi imposition fills us with immense excitement," he added.

The DMK chief further reiterated his resistance to the NEP’s language policy and accused the BJP of linking the release of Rs 2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan to Tamil Nadu’s acceptance of Hindi and Sanskrit through the backdoor.

He framed the opposition as a cultural safeguard rather than a political battle: “The stance of the people of the state is for protection of India’s pluralistic culture, not one that is driven by hatred."

In a final warning to the BJP, Stalin declared: “The BJP must atone for the betrayal it has committed against Tamil and Tamil Nadu. If not, Tamil Nadu will once again teach the BJP and its new allies a lesson they will never forget."

Thackeray Brothers Reunion

In a rare show of unity, the Thackeray cousins shared the stage for the first time in two decades at the Awaj Marathicha rally in Mumbai to celebrate the rollback of the controversial Hindi language policy in primary schools in Maharashtra.

While addressing the joint rally at the NSCI Dome in Worli, Raj Thackeray said, “Chief Minister Fadnavis managed to do what Balasaheb Thackeray could not – bring me and Uddhav together."

Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday asserted that he and his cousin have “come together to stay together".

“Raj, I and everyone else here is united. We have come together to stay together," he said, saying that they will capture power in the Mumbai civic body and Maharashtra together.

The language row came when the Maharashtra government issued an order in April to make Hindi as the compulsory third language for students in their primary classes.

Amid backlash from regional parties, the NDA government amended its April 16 Government Resolution (GR) on June 17, changing Hindi from a compulsory to an optional subject.

News politics 'Not Anti-Hindi': Uddhav Sena Distances From Stalin's Hardline Approach Amid Language Row