Thousands of MNS and Shiv Sena UBT workers marched to the venue of the joint rally held by cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray on Saturday, July 5 2025, as they came together on a public stage for the first time in almost 20 years.

On Saturday, July 5 2025, Shiv Sena UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray said that he and his cousin Raj Thackeray have "come together to stay together" while sharing the political platform after nearly two decades. Uddhav also said that he and Raj would work together to take control of the Mumbai civic body and the Maharashtra government. We have come together to stay together," he said with emphasis.

The BJP responded to the joint rally by calling it a 'desperate bid' to recover political strength and also described it as a 'family reunion'. "

After twenty years, Uddhav and Raj made a joint appearance at the ‘Awaj Marathicha’ rally, which was organised to celebrate the withdrawal of two government resolutions that had made Hindi a third language from Class 1 in state-run schools.

The Shiv Sena UBT leader also said, "We won't let the government impose Hindi on us".

MNS chief Raj Thackeray said the state government's three-language policy was part of a bigger plan to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra as he stood beside his cousin Uddhav after nearly twenty years.

Speaking at the “victory” rally, Raj Thackeray jokingly said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had succeeded in bringing him and Uddhav together, something even Balasaheb Thackeray could not do.

"The Maharashtra Government revoked the decision on the three-language formula following the strong show of unity displayed by the Marathi people. It was a foregoer of the proposal of separating Mumbai from Maharashtra," said the MNS chief while Uddhav sat next to him on stage.

He also said that "Balasaheb Thackeray studied in an English school, worked in an English newspaper but never compromised on the status of Marathi."

Raj Thackeray repeated that "Many politicians and film stars of South India attended English schools but are proud of the Tamil and Telugu languages." A massive crowd had gathered at the NSCI Dome in Worli, where hundreds of workers forced their way into the campus to hear the Thackeray brothers speak.

"Both parties' supporters stormed the venue forcibly by opening the main gate. Police subsequently closed the gate in order to prevent the recurrence of the incident. A police posse was deployed at the location," an official said, adding that additional barricades had been put up.

Leaders from MNS and Shiv Sena UBT visited the World Dome, where both Uddhav and Raj were scheduled to address the combined rally.

Both parties worked hard to show their unity with LED screens set up in different parts of Mumbai and across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

In Worli, the constituency of Shiv Sena UBT MLA Aaditya Thackeray, several hoardings featuring both Raj and Uddhav were visible across the skyline. Leaders from both parties also put up banners at different spots urging the two brothers to stay united for the sake of the Marathi people.

The Congress party, which is an ally of Shiv Sena UBT, chose not to attend the rally, said state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, but added that the party supported the protest against imposing Hindi and stood by the cause.

Sharad Pawar, the president of NCP SP, who is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance with the Congress and Shiv Sena UBT, told reporters in Pune on Thursday that he would not be attending the event due to earlier commitments.

NCP SP state president Jayant Patil told PTI that either the party’s working president, Supriya Sule or party MLA Jitendra Awhad or both would represent the party. He also mentioned that MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar had personally invited the NCP SP to the event.