Days after the Maharashtra government withdrew its three-language policy, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut announced a "Marathi Vijay Diwas" rally to be observed on July 5. He also accused the BJP of misleading the public regarding the policy's origins, challenging them to give evidence of Uddhav Thackeray's alleged prior acceptance of the policy
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut. File Pic.
Days after the Maharashtra government reversed its orders on the three-language policy in schools, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut announced on Tuesday that the party will turn its earlier planned protest rally on July 5 to "Marathi Vijay Diwas (Marathi Victory Day)".
He also reiterated that the BJP-led Mahayuti government must stop misleading citizens. The statement was made in response to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's assertion that Raut's party chief Uddhav Thackeray had accepted the recommendations of the Dr Raghunath Mashelkar committee to implement a three-language policy from Class 1 to 12 and had established a committee for its implementation when he was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022.
Further challenging the government, Raut called for the production and public burning of any government resolution (GR) purportedly issued under the previous Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. "Let them produce that GR, and burn it if it exists," Raut told reporters. He also criticised the BJP for "forcibly imposing" Hindi on Marathi-speaking students.
"We opposed the BJP government's resolution, which was indirectly enforcing Hindi as the third language from Class 1. They are in power now, not us. We will provide them with space (to burn it) if they produce that GR," he remarked sarcastically.
The Rajya Sabha member further stated that the July 5 rally in Mumbai will be observed as "Marathi Vijay Diwas" to assert the strength and pride of the Marathi-speaking population.
"The rally will demonstrate the might of the Marathi people against this Hindi imposition. We've shown Delhi that 'tiger abhi zinda hai' (the tiger is still alive)," the Sena (UBT) leader said.
According to PTI, both Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray are expected to attend the event.
"There should be no doubt about the Thackeray brothers coming together. We have also invited other political parties and members of the public to join the programme," Raut confirmed.
"We have finalised the broader outline. The rally will begin around noon [on July 5]," he added.
Invoking the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, Raut stated, "Balasaheb taught us to hit the sin, not the sinner. This fight is not against any single individual but against policies that are anti-Maharashtra."
Targeting the BJP further, the Rajya Sabha lawmaker said, "Every time they try to suppress the Marathi people, we bounce back with even more strength. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Devendra Fadnavis must realise this isn't a silent Maharashtra they're dealing with."
Facing considerable opposition to the introduction of Hindi language in Maharashtra schools from Class 1 to Class 5, the state cabinet on June 29 rolled back its two GRs concerning the implementation of the three-language policy, reported PTI.
Following this announcement, both the MNS and the Shiv Sena (UBT) initially stated that the protest march planned for July 5 against the GRs had been cancelled.
However, Uddhav Thackeray subsequently clarified that a programme would still take place on July 5 to celebrate the "unity of the Marathi manoos (Marathi people)".
Meanwhile, when asked about ally Congress' likely decision to contest the upcoming civic elections in the state independently, Raut responded that it is a national party and has every right to contest local body polls separately. He reiterated that the MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), was primarily formed for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
(With inputs from PTI)
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