The Dussehra rally of the Shiv Sena is considered the occasion when the party chief makes the political line clear for the workers, asking them to take it to the villages of Maharashtra. In the 57th rally, the second after the split in the Shiv Sena and the first after losing the party name and symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction, Uddhav Thackeray, now chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), didn’t disappoint the cadres as he fiercely commented on issues both national and local.
In his 50-minute speech, Uddhav followed the legacy of his father and late Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray by making each issue related to his party clear to the workers and giving them counters against points raised by their opponents.
In his opening remarks, Uddhav attacked Eknath Shinde, saying, “It’s been 57 years since we are holding the annual Dussehra rally. Some tried to disturb it but we are continuing this tradition. As a tradition of Dussehra today, we will be burning the effigy of ‘Khokasur’ (Shiv Sena calls the Shinde government the ‘Khoka government’). Some are trying to take away Shiv Sena from us. As of now, they have taken the party name and symbol. But they don’t know that we have a torch, with which will burn their Lanka soon.”
Uddhav also launched a direct attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by comparing them with Adolf Hitler. “Once Hitler also got the majority of votes in the name of development, but now Germans feel ashamed of him as all know what he did when he came to power. The BJP accuses us of nepotism but what is wrong with it? There are some families with a strong track record of working for the people and there is no wrong in supporting such a family. I feel proud that I come from such a family. But a person who doesn’t even believe in the family system should not speak against this,” said Uddhav.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also admitted that in 2014, all partners of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) including the Shiv Sena had supported Narendra Modi to form the government. “We supported Modi in 2014. At that time Pranab Mukherjee was the President and he was of the opinion that stability would come in the nation when there would be rule of one party. But what happened after that? I am of the opinion that when there is a coalition, it works better than a single-party rule,” he said.
Uddhav also told party workers and supporters that the BJP, which was born from the Jana Sangh, has taken up all its traits of starting fights wherever it goes. “First, they joined the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement and then fought with the other stakeholders and came out of that movement. Later they joined the Janata Party and did the same. Then the BJP was formed and joined hands with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and Akali Dal in Punjab, and it fought and broke the alliances,” he said.
While speaking on the issues of Mumbai, Uddhav slammed the Shinde government for giving away Aarey land for the Metro project and prime land in the BKC for the bullet train project. “When the people of Maharashtra never wanted a bullet train project and the Centre was forcing that, we didn’t allow it to happen. But after this government came to power, it sanctioned prime land in the BKC area for the bullet train project and land in Aarey for the Metro project,” he said.
He also sent out a warning that his party would form the government after the next elections and would take revenge on officials who have been harassing his leaders and workers. Uddhav alleged that the Shinde government is acting as an agent of the Centre, with the intention of looting Mumbai. “First they allowed new industries and projects to go to other states. Now they want to shift Film City to Uttar Pradesh from Mumbai. What is happening in the state?” he said.
Speaking on the Maratha reservation issue, Uddhav supported activist Manoj Jarange Patil and his agitation and slammed deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis “for ordering the police to lathicharge protesters”. He also challenged the Shinde government to solve the issue. “When the BJP is in power in the state and at the Centre too, why is it not calling a special session of Parliament to solve this issue? Parliament has the right to increase the quota size.” By supporting Jarange-Patil, Uddhav has made it clear that Maratha reservation will be a key issue that his party will raise against the incumbent government in the next elections.
While praising his own government for doing “great work” during the pandemic, Uddhav asked the Modi government to also probe all corporations in Maharashtra, including Thane, Nagpur, and Pune for Covid-related scams. He also asked the Centre to audit governments in all states, including BJP-ruled ones, and make the findings public, instead of “selectively targeting” state governments and corporations led by opposition parties. “Also, a probe should be done of the PM Cares Fund. Let everyone know what has happened to the money given by the common man to this PM Cares Fund. When the BJP government at the Centre had asked everyone to chant ‘Go Corona Go’, my government in the state was building new medical facilities and increasing the bed capacities of existing hospitals to tackle this pandemic. We gave full meals to the poor for just Rs 5,” he said.
Uddhav also spoke about Shiv Sena (UBT)’s petition of disqualification against Eknath Shinde and his MLAs. “Though we are getting ‘tarikh pe tarikh’ from the Supreme Court, we still have faith. But I dare the BJP to announce the elections before the result of this petition. Then they will come to know the real result as the people of Maharashtra are with us,” he said.
Uddhav also took a dig at the Shinde government, saying that it always claims to be with the farmers, but when farmers are in need of crop insurance, they don’t get a single penny.
He also hit out at the Modi government over its claims of nationalism. “Every day our jawans are dying at the border as Pakistan is violating the ceasefire, but the Pakistani cricket team was welcomed in a grand way. They also might have felt that they were a part of the BJP. Why are BJP and RSS both silent on the issue of scientist Pradeep Kurulkar who was arrested by agencies for allegedly passing on important secret documents of DRDO to a PIO (Pakistani Intelligence Operative),” he said.
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