Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, on Tuesday February 10, 2026 took on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat over his recent comments in Mumbai over language row, warning him against ‘force-fitting Hindutva’ and also advised the RSS against taking any indirect political stance.
His reaction came in criticism of Bhagwat’s recent comments in Mumbai over language row. Bhagwat had termed it a ‘localised disease’.
“Linguistic and regional identities will persist to exist in this country, and will certainly continue to exist in Maharashtra as well. This is their raison d’etre’, and whenever such situations arise, Maharashtra will rise with fury,” Thackeray said in a post on X on Tuesday (February 10, 2026).
He also dared the
RSS to reprimand the government for the imposition of Hindi in the country, and asked him to speak on cow slaughter and the objectionable dances during Kanwar Yatra.
Forgetting Hindu sentiments led to Partition: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
“If love for one’s language and one’s region seem like a disease to Mr. Bhagwat, then we would like to point out that this ‘disease’ is rampant across majority of the States in this country.
“From Karnataka to Tamil Nadu in the South, there are strong linguistic and provincial identities. The same sentiment exists in West Bengal, Punjab, and even Gujarat,” Mr. Thackeray said. He said that the history of the basis of the reorganisation of States was key to understanding the local population’s sentiments.
Pointing out that the local protests for linguistic pride emanated out of the wish to preserve local language and culture, he said, “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?” He asked why the Sarsanghachalak did not give ‘lessons on harmony’ in Gujarat where thousands of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were allegedly chased out.
Meanwhile, the BJP has trivialised the comments saying that those who were not invited to the RSS’ 100 years celebration event were sore because of it.
‘Spineless rulers’
Thackeray accused the RSS of purposely provoking the Marathi people. “It is not because the Marathi people are tolerant, but because the rulers here are spineless, that Mr. Bhagwat dares to speak this way. A few months ago, just before elections, Bhaiyyaji Joshi provoked the 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.”
Pointing out the contradiction, Mr. Thackeray asked why the RSS, which touted itself as a non-political organisation, should indulge in such acts.
‘Reprimand govt for Hindi imposition’
Warning the RSS against taking an indirect political stance, Thackeray dared the Hindutva organisation to first reprimand the government for the imposition of Hindi across the country. “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.”
‘Don’t force-fit Hindutva’
Asking the RSS chief to not try to force-fit Hindutva in this, he claimed that the RSS has chosen to stay silent on the chaos emanating in the country in the name of Hindutva. “What is wrong is wrong—we say it plainly. When will you, Mohanrao? There’s chaos 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 ranked 9th in beef exports in 2014, but is now ranked 2nd, and the spectacle of politics around cow slaughter that is being staged within the country, provoking communal frenzy—when will you speak about all this? When will you take the government to task over those traders?”
News Edit KV Raman
