Mumbai BJP Leader Ashish Shelar Criticizes Uddhav and Raj Thackeray for Advancing Personal Ambitions Under the Banner of Marathi Sentiment (VIDEO)
In the ongoing political drama in Maharashtra, the BJP's Mumbai chief, Ashish Shelar, has weighed in on the language politics that has been at the heart of the conflict between the BJP-Shinde faction, the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray.
At a recent joint rally, Ashish Shelar criticized Raj Thackeray for opposing the Centre's three-language policy, which allows children to study in their mother tongue, while not applying the same principle to his own children. He also deemed Raj Thackeray's speech at the rally as incomplete and irrelevant.
Shelar expressed his support for the three-language policy, stating that it is good to see 20 states adopting this formula. However, he remained neutral regarding the potential impact of the Thackeray brothers' reunion on elections.
Uddhav Thackeray, according to Ashish Shelar, was seen complaining and crying about being ousted from power at the rally. Raj Thackeray, on the other hand, was trying to set his own narrative of browbeating immigrants from other states and justifying it.
Shelar took a swipe at the Thackeray brothers for trying to hard sell their own agenda and narrative under the premise of opposing 'imposition' of Hindi language in the state. He found Raj Thackeray's statement about non-Marathi-speaking people inappropriate and painful.
The current political conflict in Maharashtra revolves around the assertion of Marathi linguistic and cultural identity versus the interests of Hindi-speaking and other non-Marathi communities, which the BJP tends to represent. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are pushing a Marathi unity agenda to reclaim power, while the BJP and Shinde Sena are strategically opposing this to maintain their electoral base.
This battle over identity and language is seen as central to the control of Mumbai and Maharashtra’s political landscape in the near-term elections. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are attempting to form an alliance, leveraging the shared agenda of uniting the Marathi-speaking population. The BJP, along with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, is reported to be actively working to prevent this Marathi unity.
- Amidst the ongoing political tussle in Maharashtra, Ashish Shelar, the BJP's Mumbai chief, has expressed his support for the Centre's three-language policy during a joint rally, emphasizing its implementation for children in their mother tongue.
- Shelar also criticized Raj Thackeray for opposing the three-language policy, yet not applying it to his own children, and deemed Raj Thackeray's speech at the rally as incomplete and irrelevant.
- At the same rally, Shelar criticized the Thackeray brothers for attempting to sell their own agenda and narrative under the pretext of opposing 'imposition' of Hindi language in the state, find Raj Thackeray's comments about non-Marathi-speaking people inappropriate, and expressed neutrality regarding the potential impact of the Thackeray brothers' reunion on elections.
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