Our alliance is Maharashtra Dharma to protect state pride, Marathi Manoos: Uddhav-Raj Thackeray in joint interview

Amid an ongoing campaign for the BMC elections 2026 Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena founder Raj Thackeray in a joint interview to Saamana claimed that their alliance is not just political but a Maharashtra dharma a duty to protect the states prideThe Thackeray cousins attacked the current administration in Maharashtra saying ldquoA death warrant is being issued for Mumbai and Marathi pride The city is deteriorating projects are staked and corruption is rampantrdquoFocus on development cleanliness and local identityBoth criticised infrastructure decay encroachments and neglect of Marathispeaking residents They promised to focus on development cleanliness and protecting local identity and the pride and interests of Maharashtra and the Marathi ManoosUddhav stresses unity after two decadesIn the first part of the twoseries interview Uddhav Thackeray emphasised the need for their coming together after years stating that ldquoMumbai belongs to Marathi people first We had to wait 20 years for this unity but now we are together to save the cityrdquolsquoBlood is thicker than politicsrsquo says UddhavHe further noted ldquoblood is thicker than politics While they had different paths for years the current assault on Maharashtras identity by the Central government and the breakaway Shinde faction forced us to reuniterdquoRaj calls situation lsquonow or neverrsquo for MaharashtraRaj Thackeray said ldquoToday this election and Maharashtra stand at a turning point what we call lsquonow or never Such a situation has arrived in Mumbai Thane Actually in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region Considering all these things it is necessary for us to come together If we donrsquot unite today and face together I feel Maharashtra will not forgive usrdquoWarning over Pune following Mumbairsquos pathRaj Thackeray issued a stern warning regarding the future of Maharashtrarsquos major cities While it took years for Mumbai to face its current challenges Pune will be ruined much faster if the current administrative neglect continues he statedSwipe at lsquooutsiderrsquo influence in MumbaiHe emphasised that the soul of Mumbai can only be understood by those born and bred in its soil taking a swipe at outsider influenceRaj Thackeray warned against efforts to turn Mumbai into a colony of outside interests claiming that the citys resources are being diverted away from MaharashtraSharp retort to CM Fadnavis on corruption chargeResponding to CM Devendra Fadnavisrsquos remark labelling the Thackeray alliance as a coalition of corruption Raj Thackeray retorted sharply Fadnavis should be the last person to speak about corruption He accused the ruling dispensation of being puppets who only listen to their masters in DelhiUddhav alleges attempts to weaken Shiv SenaUddhav Thackeray was vocal about the current government stating They first stole the party then they stole the symbol and now they are trying to steal our candidatesCharge of systematic weakening of Marathi strengthldquoThe way they split Shiv Sena what was the intent In politics defections happen But ending a party taking its symbol almost cancelling its recognition destroying its existence to break the strength of the Marathi people This shows what They split Shiv Sena only to weaken Maharashtrardquo he saidHe warned against the unopposed election of certain candidates calling it a mockery of democracylsquoDelhi mastersrsquo controlling state rulers says RajRaj Thackeray added that the current rulers are merely puppets governed by Delhi masters and that their only goal is to dismantle the Marathi influence in MumbaiFear of corporate takeover of MumbaiThe Thackeray cousins feared that Mumbai would be swallowed by big corporate interests and developers They mentioned that if the Thackeray unity doesnt hold Mumbai might eventually be separated from Maharashtra or lose its character to private entitiesOn joint strategy and limited resources Thackeray cousins said they decided to cancel mega rallies and focus on visiting shakhas local party officesLimited resources behind scaleddown ralliesWe realised that holding massive meetings on working days is difficult they noted We have limited resources now If we hold too many meetings our ground energy will be depletedThey further stated that the shakha local party office is the backbone of their power They emphasised a Sau Sonar Ki Ek Lohar Ki approach meaning one final massive blow at a joint rally next Sunday or Monday at Shivaji Park is more effective than scattered small eventsDemocracy lsquounder a ventilatorrsquo claims UddhavUddhav Thackeray claimed that democracy in India is under a ventilator He demanded fresh elections in constituencies where candidates were allegedly elected unopposed through pressureRaj vows to stop lsquotheftrsquo of MumbaiOn the other hand Raj Thackeray expressed scepticism about the transparency of the current electoral process but vowed that their combined roar would prevent any further theft of MumbaiCommitment to joint manifesto reiteratedThackeray cousins reiterated their Marathi Manoos agenda and commitment to implement the Vachan Nama Joint Manifesto released earlier this weekThey said the promises among others include Marathi Mayor for Mumbai monthly financial assistance of Rs 1500 for women and immediate focus on desalination plants to end the citys water woesWith inputs from Agencies