Stalin hails Thackeray cousins' rally, says BJP defeated again in bid to impose Hindi

Congratulating Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray on what he termed a "victory rally" in Maharashtra, Stalin said the rollback of the three-language policy marked the BJP's "second defeat" on the issue, according to an India Today report.

Calling Uddhav his "brother", Stalin applauded the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leaders for their united stand against what he called "Hindi imposition" in a state governed by the BJP.

He said the DMK’s resistance to such moves in Tamil Nadu had now crossed state boundaries.

Earlier, the Thackeray cousins addressed a joint rally in Mumbai where they declared their campaign to protect the Marathi language and identity had brought them together.

Stalin welcomed their “reunion” and used the occasion to sharpen his criticism of the BJP, accusing the Centre of trying to link financial aid for education to the compulsory teaching of Hindi in Tamil Nadu schools.

He alleged that the BJP had attempted to tie the release of funds to the inclusion of Hindi as a third language under the National Education Policy (NEP), a move Tamil Nadu has firmly resisted.

The state has also taken the Centre to the Supreme Court over the matter.

Stalin accused the Union government of withholding ₹573 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan after Tamil Nadu refused to adopt the PM SHRI scheme for model schools, citing its NEP-linked conditions.

The controversy flared again last week after the Maharashtra government, led by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, withdrew its revised resolution on the three-language formula and announced a new panel to revisit the issue.

The decision was seen as a direct result of public pressure and political opposition.

During their rally on Saturday, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray hailed the Maharashtra government’s reversal as a victory against the imposition of Hindi.

Stalin, reacting to this, targeted the BJP in a lengthy post on X, saying,
“I know well that the Union government, which prioritises the promotion of Hindi and Sanskrit full-time, has no answers to the questions raised by Mr Raj Thackeray: What is the third language taught in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan? And Hindi-speaking states are lagging behind—why are you imposing Hindi on the people of progressive non-Hindi-speaking states?”

Stalin insisted that Tamil Nadu’s opposition to Hindi and Sanskrit imposition was aimed at preserving India’s pluralistic ethos and “not driven by hatred.”

He ended his remarks with a warning to the BJP: “If the BJP does not mend its ways, Tamil Nadu will once again teach the BJP and its new allies a lesson they will never forget!”