Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 21: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday challenged the ruling government in Maharashtra to conduct elections using ballot papers, alleging irregularities in the electoral process. He was addressing the party’s 60th Dussehra rally at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park in Dadar, Mumbai.
Thackeray questioned the alleged deletion of voters’ names from electoral rolls and demanded accountability from the authorities.
“The voting rights of 13 crore people have been taken away across the country. Are the 13 crore people whose names have been deleted from the electoral rolls Bangladeshis?” he asked, challenging the government to hold elections using ballot papers if it had the courage.
He also expressed support for Abhijeet Dipke, chief of the Cockroach Janta Party, and criticised the government for allegedly labelling young protesters as “Urban Naxals”, “Dimagi Naxals” and “cockroaches”.
Referring to the recent firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff, Thackeray questioned the Mumbai Police’s security arrangements and the effectiveness of its nakabandi operations.
“The police caught the culprits in record time. I don’t know if I should praise the police. I would have praised them if they had shot down the assailants before the attack. What is the police doing? What is the use of conducting nakabandis?” he asked.
Thackeray also targeted the state government over gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat.
“Bishnoi is sitting in Sabarmati jail and eating fafda. If Devendra Fadnavis has the guts, he should go to Sabarmati and bring Bishnoi to Maharashtra,” he said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also criticised the government over its handling of farmers’ grievances and crop losses caused by heavy rainfall. He alleged that announcements of financial assistance had not translated into adequate relief for affected farmers.
“This is the worst government. The ruling dispensation is busy making announcements. Last year, the chief minister announced a loan waiver for crop losses caused by rain, but how many farmers actually received the relief?” he asked.
Referring to a reported Rs 5,000 payment under the loan-waiver scheme, Thackeray said the government should not consider financial assistance to farmers a favour.
The rally drew party supporters from across Maharashtra, with workers raising slogans in support of Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray. Several attendees described the annual gathering as a longstanding political tradition and expressed their continued support for the party leadership.
Shiv Sena held its first Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park on October 30, 1966, around four months after the party was founded. The rally has since become an important event in the party’s political calendar.
Following the party’s split in June 2022, Eknath Shinde began organising a separate Dussehra rally. On Tuesday, Shinde addressed his faction’s gathering at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, while Thackeray addressed supporters at Shivaji Park.
Among those attending Thackeray’s rally was 75-year-old Machavrao Kadam, who travelled from Jalna in Marathwada. He said he had been attending the gathering for 35 years and viewed Uddhav Thackeray as carrying forward the legacy of his father, Bal Thackeray.
Harichandra Gopal Kedari, 65, who travelled from Lonavala with five others, said attending the rally had become an annual tradition for him and his group, who came to listen to their leader.