Raj Thackeray lambasts RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement on language issue

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder-president Raj Thackeray on Tuesday lashed out against RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his remarks on the language issue during his two-day interaction in Mumbai over the weekend, which was also strongly criticised by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut earlier.

“On 8 February 2026, at an event in Mumbai, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat made a statement to the effect that insisting on language and occasionally agitating for it is a kind of disease. Several dignitaries from different fields were invited to this event, and some of them actually attended. But I would like to tell Mohanrao Bhagwat clearly that they did not attend out of affection for you; they did so out of their fear of Narendra Modi’s government. Otherwise, why did nobody ever attend such dull and boring sermons before? So first, please come out of the misconception that they came there for you,” Raj Thackeray stated.

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“Firstly, we assume Bhagwat surely knows the history of why the reorganisation of states along linguistic lines became a necessity in this country. If love for one’s language and one’s region seems like a disease to Bhagwat, then we would like to point out that this ‘disease’ is rampant across the majority of states in this country. From Karnataka to Tamil Nadu in South India, there are strong linguistic and provincial identities. The same sentiment exists in West Bengal, Punjab, and even Gujarat,” Raj Thackeray tweeted in a long post on his X account.

“Has Bhagwat tried to understand what this sentiment really is? When large groups from four or five states migrate en masse to other states, behave arrogantly there, reject the local culture, insult the local language, and create their own vote banks, resentment builds among the local people, leading to eruptions. You call this a disease? And if this is a disease, as you say, then it has spread to Gujarat as well. When thousands of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were chased out of Gujarat, why didn’t you go there to give lessons on harmony? Why didn’t you give the same lessons in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab or West Bengal?” Raj Thackeray asked.

“It is not because the Marathi people are tolerant, but because the rulers here are spineless, that Bhagwat dares to speak this way. A few months ago, just before elections, RSS leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi provoked Marathi people by saying that Mumbai’s language is not only Marathi but also Gujarati, attempting to woo Gujarati speakers. All this was done to see how the BJP could benefit indirectly. Why should the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which calls itself a non-political organisation, get involved in such matters in the first place?” Raj Thackeray questioned.

“We have respect for the work of the Sangh, but that does not mean it should indulge in taking indirect political stances. And if you insist on doing so, then first show the courage to reprimand the government for imposing Hindi across the country (which, incidentally, is not even the national language), and only then lecture us on harmony. And do not try to force-fit ‘Hindutva’ in all this. I have said this many times that if Hindus get attacked, we will retaliate as Hindus. It was the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) that took out a march against the riots instigated by the Raza Academy, which agitated against loudspeakers on mosques, and that took a stand against the nuisance caused to citizens by loud DJs and loudspeakers during Hindu festivals as well. What is wrong is wrong, and we say it plainly. When will you, Mohanrao?” Raj Thackeray asked.

“Chaos is unfolding across the country in the name of Hindutva. When will you speak about it? The grotesque manner in which women are made to dance during Kanwar Yatras in North India, the fact that India, which ranked 9th in beef exports in 2014, is now ranked 2nd, and the spectacle of politics around cow slaughter being staged within the country, provoking communal frenzy — when will you speak about all this? When will you hold the government accountable for those traders?” Raj Thackeray stated.

“Anyway, what you choose to do is up to you. For us, the Marathi language and the Marathi people are the ultimate and supreme priority. Linguistic and regional identities will continue to exist in this country, and they will certainly continue to exist in Maharashtra as well. This is our ‘raison d’etre’, and whenever such situations arise, Maharashtra will rise with fury,” Raj Thackeray stated.