Uddhav Thackeray Meets Devendra Fadnavis Amid Political Buzz Over CM's 'Join Us' Remark
Uddhav Thackeray met Devendra Fadnavis after the CM hinted at a possible alliance. The meeting, also attended by Aaditya Thackeray, lasted half an hour.
Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The recent move comes a day after CM Fadnavis made a ‘come here’ offer to his former ally, setting off political speculation in the state. Thackeray met Fadnavis in the chamber of legislative council chairperson Ram Shinde. Aaditya Thackeray, the former CM's son and Worli MLA, was also present during the meeting, which lasted for about half an hour.
Speaking at the farewell of the leader of the opposition in the council, Ambadas Danve, the CM, in a tongue-in-cheek remark, told Uddhav Thackeray that the BJP was not likely to join him in the opposition, but he could come over to the ruling side.
“Uddhav ji, there is no scope (for a change in government) till 2029. We do not have the scope to come to the other (opposition's) side. You have the scope to come here, and it can be thought about. We can think about it differently,” Fadnavis said.
The undivided Shiv Sena led by Thackeray parted ways with the long-time ally BJP after the 2019 assembly elections over a dispute on sharing the CM's post.
News agency ANI, quoting Shiv Sena (UBT), reported that Thackeray, the Chief Minister, handed over a compilation of news articles opposing the introduction of Hindi as a third language in Maharashtra, citing concerns of alleged linguistic imposition. Earlier, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief clarified that his party is not against the Hindi language but accused certain groups of comparing Marathi people to terrorists and undermining Marathi identity.
On July 5, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) held a joint rally called 'Awaaz Marathicha' at the Worli Dome in Mumbai. The event marked the first time in nearly twenty years that Uddhav and Raj Thackeray shared the stage. The rally came after the Maharashtra government scrapped two Government Resolutions (GRs) that aimed to introduce Hindi as a third compulsory language. The now-withdrawn orders, related to the implementation of the three-language formula in state schools, had triggered widespread protests from Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction).
(With agency inputs.)
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