'Adanikaran of India': Thackeray brothers

Mumbai: As the Thackeray cousins - Uddhav and Raj - appeared for the first time in historic Shivaji Park in Dadar in two decades for a political event, they feared “Adanikaran of India” and wondered whether Mumbai would be renamed Bombay again.

Uddhav, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and Raj, the MNS president, came together in Shivaji Park at Shivaji Park during the Diwali festivities, however, this time for the first time they came together in a political platform in 20 years when they addressed a rally in the run up to the elections to the January 15, 2026, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) are contesting the elections together in Mumbai.

From NCP (SP), senior leader and MLA Jayant Patil, who enjoys a great relationship with the Thackerays, addressed the gathering.

The brothers invoked the contribution of their grandfather and social reformer Prabodhankar Thackeray, who is one of the pillars of Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and late Shrikant Thackeray.

The Thackeray cousins slammed prime minister Narendra Modi, union home minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in their address even as Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray stole the show as he slammed the BJP.

A powerful orator, Raj hit out at Modi and the BJP for promoting Adani - and to buttress his point he showed a video of map of India, Maharashtra and Mumbai - explaining how the Adani Group has grown over the past two decades. “See the map of 2014 of the Adani Group when Modi became the prime minister and 2025,” he said.

“How come Adani Group got all ports, all airports, all big projects,” asked Raj, and said, “You have no idea what is happening.”

“They want to annex Mumbai to Gujarat,” Raj feared and pointed out the projects in Palghar districts - referring to the Wadhawan port and airport project and the bullet train project.

“This election could be the last for the Marathi manoos…then you are finished…you all have to come together,” he said.

“What is happening is Adanikaran of India,” said Uddhav, a former chief minister.

Uddhav described former prime minister Morarji Desai as “nar-rakshas” and pointed out how the latter wanted to quell the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement.

Raj and Uddhav also slammed IPS officer-turned-politician and Tamil Nadu BJP vice president K Annamalai who had said “Bombay is not a Maharashtra city but an international city”.

“I wonder whether Mumbai will be renamed as Bombay again,” said Uddhav as he slammed Annamalai. “He spoke what is in BJP’s mind…the same way they gave the slogan of abki Baar-char sau paar….400 plus seats in Lok Sabha elections…they wanted to change the Constitution which is written by Marathi-manoos, a Marathi-manoos,” said Uddhav.

“Some ‘ras-malai’ came and said that Mumbai is not a Maharashtra city…what relations you have with Mumbai,” he said and referred to Balasaheb’s slogan of “hatao-lungi, bajao pungi”.