'Chhatrapati Shivaji was called a chuha, now Gen Z is being called cockroaches': Uddhav Thackeray says great leaders faced ridicule when they were young

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday defended Generation Z by comparing them to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, saying the Mughals had called the Maratha warrior a "chuha" when he was young, just as today's youth are being called "cockroaches."

Thackeray made the remarks at a book launch in Mumbai, where he drew parallels between the ridicule faced by historically significant figures in their youth and the language being used against the current generation.

"Those who were insulted as cockroaches belong to what we now call Generation Z, roughly from the ages of thirteen or fourteen to twenty-seven or twenty-eight," Thackeray said, according to TOI. "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."


Uddhav Thackeray Shivaji Maharaj Gen Z

Thackeray noted that Shivaji Maharaj was only 17 when he captured Torna Fort and had gone on to challenge the Mughal Empire despite his young age. He cited Sant Dnyaneshwar alongside Shivaji Maharaj as another example of a figure who faced significant opposition early in life before leaving a lasting legacy.

He said today's youth should not be belittled for speaking out and drew a direct line between the dismissal those historical figures faced and the language currently being directed at young people.

Gen Z Slang in Parliament Monsoon Session

Thackeray's remarks come during a period in which Gen Z as a subject has found its way into parliamentary debate during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj used Gen Z internet slang while speaking in support of proposed legislation on the treasury bench. "Borrowing Gen Z's language, I would have to say that Modiji clocked it at providing this legislative solution," she said, according to TOI. The phrase "clock it" is a popular internet expression used to acknowledge or recognise something.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra invoked the generation from the opposition side while criticising the government. "If you want to win over the Gen Z, then making videos with different camera angles will not help," she said. "The prime minister needs to change the angle of his heart, not the angle of cameras."

She also said: "Injustice has been done with youths under your government, accept the truth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must take responsibility."

(With TOI inputs)