India, June 27 -- 'Estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray are set to unite for a joint protest defending Marathi language rights, opposing the Maharashtra government's three-language formula that introduces Hindi from Class 1. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leaders will share the stage on July 5 in a rare show of unity against what they call the "imposition" of Hindi on Marathi-speaking students.

The state's amended order mandates Hindi as the third language for Classes 1-5 in Marathi and English medium schools, sparking fierce backlash. Addressing simultaneous press conferences, both Uddhav and Raj vowed to resist the move. Uddhav initially pledged to join a civil society protest on July 7, while ...