Mumbai: Eknath Shinde, chief minister of Maharashtra and head of his faction of the Shiv Sena, warned people not to take him lightly. Uddhav Thackeray, his rival and head of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, asserted himself, saying his father and Sena founder Bal Thackeray trusted him to be capable of making his own decisions.
Shinde justified joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while Uddhav slammed the current BJP as a “hybrid” version of its original self, asking its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), if it found today’s Narendra Modi-led BJP acceptable.
Shinde spoke about his party’s commitment to Hindutva while attacking Uddhav for getting votes mainly from the Muslim community. Uddhav wondered why Hindutva is still said to be in danger despite more than 10 years of the Modi-led NDA government at the Centre.
Shinde talked up his role in Mumbai’s development, while Uddhav criticised this development as akin to handing over the city on a platter to the Adani Group.
Ahead of Maharashtra polls likely to be held in November, Dussehra speeches of leaders of the two Senas were like two sides of the same coin.
Through their speeches, both leaders also gave cadres and supporters a glimpse of their chief ministerial ambitions.
At a time when the Mahayuti partners—Shinde-led Shiv Sena, BJP and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—are negotiating power sharing going into the state polls, Shinde hailed Modi for “installing a Shiv Sena CM and fulfilling Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s dream”.
In his speech at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, Shinde said, “He (Uddhav) used to also say he wanted to make a Shiv Sainik CM. If not me, he should have at least let someone else be CM. But, instead he went and sat on the CM’s chair himself.”
Uddhav, on the other hand, wrapped up his speech by sharing a video of him taking oath as Maharashtra CM in 2019, and urging his party workers to take an oath of protecting Maharashtra with him. “I will not let this Maharashtra of Shahu (Rajarshi Shahu), Phule (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule), Ambedkar (BR Ambedkar) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj become the Maharashtra of Modi, Shah (Amit Shah) and Adani,” Uddhav said, addressing his party workers at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park.
Leaving BJP, joining BJP
Close on the heels of the state polls, both the Shiv Senas sought to remind their voters of their reasons behind their respective decisions.
Uddhav asked his party workers if he did the right thing when he splintered ties with the BJP in 2019, while Shinde launched into a long justification for walking out of the Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and joining forces with the BJP. The MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
“They (BJP) tried to finish us. When nobody used to ask about them in Maharashtra, we took them on our shoulders and took them around,” Uddhav said, alleging the BJP wants to finish every party other than itself in the country.
“I want to ask the RSS, is this BJP acceptable to you? The earlier BJP, the one of Vajpayee and Advani, was pure. Today’s BJP has become hybrid. BJP should be embarrassed to call itself Bharatiya (Indian). It is not even a party of the janata (people) anymore,” Uddhav said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief invoked late industrialist Ratan Tata, saying Tata once spoke to him about how they both had a legacy of their fathers to follow. Uddhav said Tata had advised him to take his own decisions rather than thinking what Bal Thackeray would have done in his place.
“He said, Balasaheb has seen how I work in difficult times, how I take decisions. That’s why he selected me. So in every situation, I should make a decision as I see fit, that will make my father happy. And I do just that. I have not left Balasaheb’s ideology,” Uddhav said.
Shinde had walked out of the Uddhav-led MVA government in June 2022 along with a majority of MLAs to form a government with the BJP. Talking about his rebellion, Shinde said Saturday, “Balasaheb used to say that injustice should not be tolerated. And hence we rebelled. If I wouldn’t have rebelled then that would have been an insult to a Shiv Sainik. And Maharashtra would have gone way back.”
He said, when his government came to power, rivals predicted it wouldn’t last long.
“There were predictions that it would fall in a month, in the second month, in six months. However, this Eknath Shinde held his ground. Because I am Balasaheb’s Shiv Sainik ,.. disciple of Anand Dighe. I will not go so easily. Don’t take me lightly. I am not someone who will leave the ground but will make you run around,” he added.
Shinde, Uddhav on Adani and Mumbai
In both the speeches, the much-delayed Dharavi redevelopment project featured prominently, with Uddhav Thackeray vowing to scrap the current bid, which the Shinde-led government has awarded to Adani Realty, if the MVA returns to power.
While Shinde defended the project being given to Adani and instead focused on how every person in Dharavi will get a house, Uddhav questioned various land parcels across Mumbai being given for the project.
Shinde said he was personally responsible for making sure every resident of Dharavi gets a house, irrespective of eligibility criteria. “I am making sure that Dharavi is being redeveloped. But the Opposition is trying to stall that. You have been building one bungalow after another, but keeping Dharavi residents on the road. We are giving houses to 2.10 lakh people in Dharavi. Each house is of Rs 1 crore so that is Rs 2 lakh crore in total. We will make sure that everyone’s dream in Dharavi is fulfilled.”
Shinde spoke about how even those not eligible for free housing in Dharavi as per norms would be given a house in other locations across Mumbai, for which the state government has been allotting land parcels for the project.
This is exactly what Uddhav took aim at Shinde for.
“What have you not given Adani? Lands across Mumbai. What should we live for then? We fought for this Mumbai and gave our blood. It wasn’t distributed to us by Adani. Adani is not my enemy, but if you are going to give Adani all of Mumbai, I am declaring now that when our government comes to power, I will scrap the Dharavi tender. I will give mill workers housing, police housing, all the Marathi people that you are throwing out, I will give them houses in Dharavi,” he said.
“I am not fighting for myself. I am fighting for Mumbai, for Maharashtra. I will fight till you are with me,” the former chief minister added.
Aaditya Thackeray, the Thackeray scion and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA from Worli, spoke at the Shiv Sena’s traditional Dussehra rally for the first time.
The hallmark of his speech too was his attack on Adani Realty.
“This government is taking thousands of decisions in the cabinet. I was told by a bureaucrat that till all of Adani’s works and government resolutions are not issued, the model code of conduct will not set in,” Aaditya alleged.
Shinde, meanwhile, also spoke about how his government is development-oriented, referring to work on various Metro lines, the bullet train, and inauguration of the Atal Setu and coastal road during his tenure.
Hindutva vs Hindutva
Shinde started his speech with a dig at Uddhav for allegedly abandoning Hindutva by allying with ideological rivals Congress and the NCP.
“When Balasaheb Thackeray used to start his speech by addressing Hindu mothers, sisters and brothers, we used to feel proud. We used to get goosebumps. Balasaheb gave the cry, ‘garv se kaho hum Hindu hain’ (say with pride you are a Hindu), but some people are allergic to the word Hindu. They feel ashamed to consider themselves Hindu,” Shinde said.
In one of his previous speeches, Uddhav Thackeray, who usually starts his speech saying, ‘Jamlelya majha tamam Hindu bandhavanno, bhaginnino ani maatanno,’ (all my Hindu brothers, sisters and mothers gathered here), the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief had strayed from his usual greeting, dropping the word Hindu. His Saturday’s speech, however, started in his usual style.
Shinde, however, alleged that the Shiv Sena (UBT) won nine Lok Sabha seats because of Muslim votes, which had been the Congress’ vote bank.
“We know how Pakistan flags are waved at their rallies. Balasaheb’s soul would be pained. But you can’t think about it because you are greedy for power. Someone told me even in Pakistan congratulatory boards were placed for you (Uddhav),” the chief minister alleged.
Earlier on Saturday, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had called for Hindus to consolidate pointing to the crisis in Bangladesh, saying it is a learning for Hindus in India. Uddhav slammed Bhagwat’s statement and asked why Hindus are still perceived to be in danger despite more than a decade of the Modi-led NDA government being in power at the Centre.
“So, what is the point? What have you done?” he asked.
Uddhav also spoke about the killing of a young man in Haryana on the suspicion of carrying beef last month.
“Gaurakshaks followed him and killed him because they suspected he was smuggling beef. His name turned out to be Aryan Mishra. If the same person was Aryan Khan or Aryan Sheikh, it would have been made into a big issue about how Hindutva is in danger. I don’t accept this Hindutva, so I am fighting these pseudo Hindutvavadis,” he said.
Adding, “You (BJP) create divisions within Hindus, when you come to Mumbai you are drawing a wedge between Marathis and non-Marathis, and then within castes.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Securing the classical language tag for Marathi took 10 years, 4 govts & multiple follow-ups