Pandharpur: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended his government’s decision to scrap the controversial Hindi language mandate — but criticized the recent “victory” rally in Mumbai, describing it as a platform for airing grievances rather than celebrating Marathi pride.
According to Fadnavis, the event — which brought together estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray after nearly 20 years — was credited to Raj Thackeray’s emphasis on Marathi community issues. “First of all, I thank Raj Thackeray, as he gave me the credit for uniting the two brothers. I felt that I would receive the blessings of the revered Balasaheb. I thought it would be a victory rally, but it turned out to be an event full of complaints, instead of speaking on the Marathi issue, they focused on how their government was brought down and pleaded for a new one,” he told reporters in Pandharpur.
The event, which marked the first public appearance of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray together in nearly two decades, was officially organised to celebrate the Maharashtra government’s rollback of the two controversial Government Resolutions (GRs) that proposed Hindi as a third language in state-run schools.
However, Fadnavis questioned the real intent behind the rally. “For over 25 years, they ruled the BMC. What do they have to show for it today? This wasn’t a victory rally for Marathi; this was an attempt to revive their lost political ground,” he said.
