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Thackeray warned migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar against what he described as the imposition of Hindi and the erosion of Maharashtra’s linguistic and cultural identity.
MNS Chief Raj Thackeray (PTI/File)
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray once again revived the emotive issue of migration from North India as he stepped up his campaign ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, framing the civic polls as a decisive moment for the “Marathi manoos”.
Addressing party workers, Thackeray warned migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar against what he described as the imposition of Hindi and the erosion of Maharashtra’s linguistic and cultural identity.
While clarifying that he does not oppose the language itself, he cautioned against forcing it on the state, linking the issue to jobs, land and political power in Mumbai and Maharashtra.
‘I don’t hate the language, but if you try to impose it, I will kick you. They’re coming from all sides to Maharashtra and snatching away your share. If land and language are gone, you will be finished. Today, this crisis has arrived at your doorstep,” said Thackeray.
Thackeray alleged that large-scale migration was reducing the share of opportunities available to locals, arguing that the loss of land and language would ultimately weaken the Marathi community.
Calling the upcoming civic elections a turning point, he described them as the “last election for the Marathi man” and urged voters to unite in the name of Marathi identity and Maharashtra’s future.
Invoking Mumbai’s history, the MNS chief said the city was built through the sacrifices of many and questioned how those sacrifices would be justified if locals lost control over their own city.
He also issued organisational instructions to party workers, stressing vigilance on polling day and asking booth-level agents to remain alert to prevent irregularities.
The sharp rhetoric comes amid renewed political mobilisation around identity issues ahead of the high-stakes BMC polls, widely seen as a crucial contest for control over India’s richest civic body.
Earlier, Raj Thackeray had launched a broader attack on the BJP, alleging that forces seeking to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra were currently in power both at the Centre and in the state.
He warned that if such forces gained control of municipal corporations, the Marathi population would be politically marginalised.
In a recent joint interview with Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, published in Saamana, Raj said their coming together was not for personal political survival but for safeguarding the future of the “Marathi manoos”.
The interview, conducted by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, followed the announcement last month of an alliance between the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) for the January 15 BMC elections.
During the interview, Raj Thackeray also claimed that migration into Maharashtra was no longer limited to people seeking livelihoods, alleging that migrants were now forming their own political constituencies, a trend he said posed long-term challenges to local representation and identity.
January 12, 2026, 09:36 IST
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