Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said Raj Thackeray spoke in Marathi's interests but Uddhav Thackeray showed his desperation for power at the cousins' rally to celebrate the government's retreat on the issue of teaching Hindi in schools.
Minister Uday Samant, who belongs to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, similarly sought to distinguish between the two cousins, slamming only Uddhav who leads the rival Shiv Sena-UBT.
Earlier in the day, the hitherto estranged Thackeray cousins shared public stage after two decades at a victory rally in Mumbai to celebrate the withdrawal of two government resolutions seeking to introduce Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state schools.
Talking to reporters, Shinde, without naming Uddhav Thackeray, said his desperation for power and jealousy were on display at the rally, and he should answer why the Marathi manoos (native Marathi speakers) were driven out of Mumbai in all these years.
"One expressed desire for the good of Marathi, the other spewed bile for power. Some people had said (before the rally) that there will be no party flag in the victory celebration. One speaker (Raj) followed it, the other (Uddhav) conveyed his agenda. This is the difference," Shinde said.
Shinde, who rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray and split the Shiv Sena in June 2022, noted that the song 'Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha' which was played at the start of the rally was given recognition as the `state song' when he was chief minister. -- PTI
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