Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his Dussehra rally, accusing him of betraying the 2019 mandate and becoming chief minister through the "back door."
"You (Uddhav Thackeray) became the Maharashtra Chief Minister through the back door. The biggest vote theft happened in 2019 when you contested elections in the name of the BJP and later formed the government with the Maha Vikas Aghadi. This is a severe betrayal of the voters," Shinde charged. He compared the INDIA bloc to a "ten-headed Ravana" and called for the symbolic burning of the alliance's effigy, accusing its leaders of undermining institutions and spreading a "fake narrative" on electoral integrity.
Shinde challenged the opposition over its claims of irregularities in electoral rolls, pointing to what he called its double standards. "Why did the INDIA bloc not raise concerns about vote theft when it won in Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh?" he asked. He also criticised Rahul Gandhi over a march near the Supreme Court, calling it an affront to the judiciary.
Turning to agriculture, Shinde said farmers hit by a weak monsoon and crop losses would receive immediate relief. He announced the dispatch of an initial 100 tonnes of foodgrains to distressed farmers as an advance Diwali gift, with more to follow, and urged rivals not to politicise farmers' distress. Opposition leaders dismissed the immediate relief as inadequate.
Both Shiv Sena factions used their Dussehra rallies to project strength ahead of coming elections in Maharashtra. Shinde praised the BJP leadership and Prime Minister Modi's economic record while criticising Rahul Gandhi's march near the Supreme Court.