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During the annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park, Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Thackeray accused the BJP of undermining Mumbai’s significance to favor Gujarat, with the CM allegedly assisting in this agenda. Though he did not directly name industrialist Gautam Adani, Thackeray raised concerns about the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), indicating favoritism towards a specific industrialist.
Thackeray criticized the BJP’s attempts to diminish Mumbai’s importance, linking it to historical events and conspiracies. He emphasized the need to build houses in Dharavi for government employees, mill workers’ families, and Marathi people instead of benefiting private contractors. The rally, attended by passionate Sena workers, reflected Thackeray’s determination to challenge the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in upcoming elections.
Advocating for an inclusive alliance government, Thackeray condemned the autocratic regime of the BJP and likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule to Adolf Hitler’s regime in Germany. He highlighted the drawbacks of single-party governments and emphasized the effectiveness of coalition governments led by leaders like Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh.
Accusing BJP of corruption, Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut pointed out questionable alliances, such as Prafulla Patel’s association with Iqbal Mirchi, a close aide of underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Thackeray’s speech underscored the opposition’s stance, emphasizing transparency and good governance.
Accompanying Thackeray on stage were senior party leaders Leeladhar Dake, Subhash Desai, Diwakar Raote, Bhaskar Jadhav, Anand Gite, and Aaditya Thackeray, reinforcing Shiv Sena’s unified front against the BJP.
