Mumbai, July 6 -- Estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray on Saturday shared a stage in public for the first time in nearly two decades at a rally in Worli to celebrate the Mahayuti government's decision to roll back its controversial order introducing Hindi as a third language in primary schools across Maharashtra. At a packed National Sports Club of India (NSCI) Dome arena, the cousins promised to fight for the rights of the Marathi manoos (people), while Uddhav even hinted at an alliance between their parties, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), for the upcoming local body elections across the state. If the cousins do forge an alliance, it could lead to a realignment of forces and change the political equations in Maharashtra, which saw the Mahayuti alliance return to power with a thumping majority in the assembly elections last year. At around noon on Saturday, the two cousins walked onto the stage at NSCI Dome, which has a seated capacity of 8,000, to rapturous applause. With around 5,000 more supporters watching on giant screens set up outside the arena, the Thackeray brothers attacked the BJP-led Mahayuti government over what they called a "conspiracy to divide" people in the name of language, caste and religion. Raj, who quit the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005 over apparent differences with Uddhav and formed the MNS, sarcastically thanked chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for bringing him and his cousin together, which he said was something even Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray could not do. "Maharashtra is bigger than any politics and fight... Today, after 20 years, Uddhav and I have come together. What Balasaheb could not do, Devendra Fadnavis did," Raj said in his 25-minute speech in Marathi, with Uddhav being the only other person on stage. Uddhav, who also spoke in Marathi for roughly 25 minutes after Raj, hinted at a political alliance between their parties. "We have come together to stay together," he said, evoking loud cheers from the crowd, which consisted of leaders from the two parties, members of the Thackeray family, and several Opposition leaders, including NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule. "We have come together on the issue of the language, and this is not just hogwash. We both have experienced how they use and throw once your utility is over. They are traders in the field of politics," Uddhav added, in an apparent reference to the BJP. Earlier, Raj alleged that the Mahayuti government's decision to introduce Hindi in primary education was an attempt to check if Mumbai could be separated from Maharashtra. "Had there been no reaction, they would have gone ahead with the separation of Mumbai. Did they think it was so easy? They had to backtrack after the backlash," he said. Raj added that they were not against any language, but there was nothing wrong with expecting people living in Maharashtra to speak Marathi. He told his supporters not to attack people over the issue, but also advised them not to record a video if they did beat up someone doing "useless drama". His comments came against the backdrop of MNS workers attacking an eatery owner last week for not speaking Marathi and ransacking the office of an investment consultant on Saturday after he refused to speak the language in a social media post. In his speech, Raj did not talk about a political alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) but said there was a need for the Marathi-speaking people to unite. "Alliances keep happening in politics, but there would be no compromise on Marathi and Maharashtra. I am not sure what will happen in the future, but the unity for Marathi should remain untouched," he said. Political analysts said if the two Thackerays do contest elections together, it could lead to a consolidation of Marathi votes in the state. "There will be political realignment if the Thackeray cousins form an alliance. It will have a direct impact on the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Shinde will be locked in a direct fight with the heirs of Bal Thackeray in his bid to show that he is carrying forward his legacy," political observer Hemant Desai said....