Uddhav likens Gen Z to Shivaji Maharaj, says Mughals too called him 'chuha'
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday compared Gen Z to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, saying that just as today's youth are being mocked as
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday compared Gen Z to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, saying that just as today's youth are being mocked as "cockroaches", the Maratha warrior too was once derided as a "chuha" (rat) by the Mughals despite his achievements at a young age. Speaking at the launch of a book in Mumbai, Thackeray said those who had recently been insulted as "cockroaches" belonged to Generation Z and argued that history had repeatedly shown how young people had shaped society despite facing ridicule and opposition. Read Full Story "Those who were insulted as 'cockroaches' belong to what we now call Gen Z, roughly from the ages of thirteen or fourteen to twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Wasn't Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj just about that age when he captured Torna Fort at seventeen? Even Shivaji Maharaj was called a 'chuha' by the Mughals. Wasn't Sant Dnyaneshwar also very young when he wrote the Dnyaneshwari?
Both faced tremendous opposition in their own time," Thackeray said. VIDEO | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray praises courageous Gen Z, likens them to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sant Dnyaneshwar. pic.twitter.com/XfI5ruqIIb— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 29, 2026 Drawing a parallel between Shivaji Maharaj's early military successes and the aspirations of today's youth, he said young voices should not be dismissed simply because of their age. Shivaji Maharaj had challenged the mighty Mughal Empire while still a teenager, he noted, adding that the present generation deserved encouragement rather than ridicule. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief praised the youth for leading nationwide protests over the NEET paper leak and pressing for the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He said that at a time when many believed democracy had lost its spirit, it was the country's young people who had revived it through their protests. Thackeray's remarks come amid the growing use of Gen Z slang and internet terminology by political leaders across party lines during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj recently borrowed Gen Z vocabulary while defending a government Bill, using the phrase "clock it", a popular internet expression meaning to recognise or acknowledge something. "Borrowing Gen Z's language, I would have to say that Modiji clocked it at providing this legislative solution," she said during the debate. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also invoked Gen Z references while criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public outreach strategy. "If you want to win over the Gen Z, then making videos with different camera angles will not help. The prime minister needs to change the angle of his heart, not the angle of cameras," Priyanka Gandhi said. "Injustice has been done with youths under your government. Accept the truth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must take responsibility," she added. During the event, Uddhav Thackeray also targeted the BJP over the proposed delimitation exercise, arguing that the government should prioritise creating jobs for young people instead of expanding the strength of Parliament.
The BriefWire