Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray addressed separate Dussehra rallies in Mumbai. Their speeches highlighted deep divisions over the electoral mandate, protests and farmer relief.
Shinde accused Thackeray of encouraging anarchy in India. (File Photo: ITG)
The Shiv Sena marked 60 years of its traditional Dussehra rally on Tuesday, with rival factions led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray holding separate gatherings in Mumbai, Press Trust of India reported.
While Shinde accused Thackeray of stealing the people's mandate after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Thackeray called for a change of government and backed protests by young people demanding their rights. Both leaders also criticised each other over support for farmers affected by drought.
Addressing the ruling Shiv Sena's rally at the NESCO Centre in Goregaon, Shinde alleged that the actual “vote theft” and “dacoity” of the people's mandate took place when the undivided Shiv Sena joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form a government after the 2019 polls.
Without naming Thackeray, Shinde said, “You did not even contest the election. You made a backdoor entry and became chief minister. You stabbed the mandate and grabbed the post. It was a huge dacoity against the people's mandate.”
Questioning the Opposition's stand on electoral rolls, Shinde said it had earlier raised concerns over an increase in the number of voters and was now questioning the deletion of names. “This is double standards and a daily show of new drama. The INDIA bloc is a ten-mouthed Ravana, and we need to burn its effigy,” he said, alleging that the Opposition wanted to undermine the Constitution.
Shinde accused the Congress of looting the country during its decades in power and alleged that it was now demanding a return to ballot papers after previously winning elections through booth capturing. “When you lose, you call it vote chori and start alleging foul play. The INDIA bloc won elections in Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. Why was there no vote chori then?” he asked.
Referring to Opposition leaders' remarks about changes of government in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Shinde accused them of encouraging anarchy in India. “This is Hindustan, a new India. This is an India that enters Pakistan,” he said, adding that people would teach “anti-national” elements a lesson.
Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah against the Opposition's criticism, Shinde said Modi had made India the world's fourth-largest economy and received the highest civilian awards of 36 countries. He also accused Opposition parties of holding rallies in Mumbai and promoting a “fake narrative” of vote theft while farmers were losing their crops.
Shinde criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for taking out a rally to the Supreme Court, alleging that it insulted the judiciary and attacked a constitutional institution. He said he worked on the ground instead of merely delivering speeches.
According to PTI, Shinde said Maharashtra was facing drought-like conditions, with standing crops drying up and yields being affected. He asserted that the BJP-led government and his party would support cultivators facing losses because of water scarcity.
“Today, I have dispatched the first tranche of 100 tonnes of foodgrains to farmers as an advance Diwali gift. There will be more such rounds of assistance given to farmers,” Shinde said. “Unfortunately, this year, the monsoon turned its back on farmers. We reached out to distressed farmers who are shedding tears and offered them consolation. This is not the time to politicise the farmers' plight but to extend support to them.” Describing himself as a farmer's son, he said he understood the difficulties faced by cultivators and their families.
Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray addressed the party's first Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar in 1966, four months after forming the party on the “sons of the soil” or Marathi manoos plank. His son Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), addressed his faction's rally at the same venue on Tuesday.
Thackeray said the Opposition, including his party, had stood up to bring about a “regime change” and promised “acche din”, or good days, after dislodging the BJP-led government at the Centre. “We will bring ‘acche din’,” he said, urging party workers to work towards a change of government.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, whose party has supported protests against the CEC and SIR, said young people taking to the streets for their demands were not Naxalites but “revolutionaries” seeking their rights. He said protesting was their right because “vote chori” was affecting everyone, particularly new voters.
“We have to unfurl Bhagwa not only atop Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha, but also on Lal Qila,” Thackeray told the gathering. “This is our identity. No one can steal our identity,” he added in a veiled attack on the BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Thackeray claimed Maharashtra was being repeatedly insulted but “bootlickers” were not speaking up, in an attack on leaders of the rival Shiv Sena. He also targeted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat over his remarks on youth protests at the organisation's annual Vijayadashami event in Nagpur earlier in the day.
Bhagwat had said agitations seeking a change of government did not resolve fundamental problems. He warned that protests could become instruments of political interests and deepen divisions in society instead of providing solutions. Responding to the remarks, Thackeray asked, “If one does not get justice and hits the streets, you will dub them as goons and Naxalites?”
Thackeray also criticised the BJP-led Mahayuti government over its handling of drought in Maharashtra, saying the ruling coalition was only giving assurances to affected farmers. Targeting Shinde, he said a farmer's son visited his farm in a helicopter and called it “hypocrisy”.
The rival Dussehra rallies saw Shinde and Thackeray trade allegations over the 2019 mandate, electoral rolls, protests and political change, while both addressed the difficulties faced by Maharashtra's drought-affected farmers.
- Ends