No, Uddhav Thackeray Didn't Demand Urdu to be Given 'Classical Language' Status

A fake quote has been attributed to Uddhav Thackeray.

Fact-check: An altered image is being shared to claim that Uddhav Thackeray demanded Urdu language to receive a status of classical language like Marathi.

(Photo: The Quint)

A quote is being attributed to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray which states that he demanded Urdu to be given the status of a classical language.

The viral image also shows ABP Majha's logo on the top-right corner.

• This comes after the Union Cabinet recently granted classical language status to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

• This increased the number of classical languages to a total of 11.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

What's the truth?: This is not true, no such statement or demand has been made by Thackeray.

• An original image shared by ABP Majha has been edited to make this claim.

How did we find out the truth?: We performed a relevant keyword search on Google but found no credible report supporting this claim.

• We also checked Thackeray's social media accounts but found no such statement being made.

• We also checked reports about new languages being granted the status of classical languages and it included Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

• The list did not include Urdu.

Original image: Next, we checked the Facebook page of ABP Majha but found no such post about Thackeray making this statement about the Urdu language.

• We found an old post from 6 September 2022 which matched the design of the viral image.

• The image also carried a cutout of Thackeray, which was a photo from 2022.

• The quote here, in Marathi, says, "Saw Mangalmurti and 'Amangalmurti' in Mumbai yesterday. Show the sky to those who talk about showing land."

• Here's another post shared by ABP Majha on 18 May which carries the same template.

• The quote here says in Marathi, "They are not satisfied by gathering all such characterless, corrupt, traitors. So someone wants a last name, so he rents it."

Conclusion: An altered image is being shared to claim that Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the Urdu language receive the status of a classical language like Marathi.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)