Referring to the 2019 elections, Shinde said, “You stabbed Maharashtra in the back during the 2019 elections. Even though voters had overwhelmingly supported the Shiv Sena-BJP Mahayuti alliance, you went with the Maha Vikas Aghadi and committed what was, in the true sense, vote theft. You did not merely steal votes; you committed a robbery of the people’s mandate.”
Shinde addressed party workers at the Dussehra rally, held at the NESCO Ground in Goregaon, and launched a sharp attack on political opponents. Referring to Shiv Sena’s 60-year tradition, he drew attention to the difficulties faced by farmers this year and urged party workers to stand by them.
He said farmers had suffered significant crop damage due to excessive rainfall last year, while a lack of adequate rainfall this year had left them distressed. Shinde called on Shiv Sainiks to reassure farmers and support them during the difficult period. He also announced the initiative “Bhagwa Khadyavar, Shiv Sainik Bandhavar”, urging party workers to take the saffron flag to their shoulders and stand alongside farmers in the fields.
Shinde also criticised the opposition over the issue of regime change, taking aim at its political leadership without directly naming Uddhav Thackeray.
“Running the country or destroying it will not work. The people have uprooted you three times, and you did not even realise that the regime within your own party had changed,” he said.
Referring to the opposition’s statements about the Constitution and the Emergency, Shinde again targeted Thackeray without explicitly mentioning his name.
The rally also saw Ramdas Kadam launch an attack on Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil following allegations that Shinde had received Rs 500 crore from the BJP. Jarange Patil had accused the Deputy Chief Minister of accepting the money from the BJP.
Responding to the allegation, Kadam called Jarange Patil dishonest and questioned his conduct during hunger strikes. “You sit on a hunger strike and secretly eat food when you go to the bathroom,” Kadam said.
He further demanded that Deputy Chief Minister Shinde investigate Jarange Patil’s assets and their ownership.
“Since he became the leader of the Marathas, where are his properties located? In whose names are they registered, and which relatives hold them in their names? Deputy Chief Minister Shinde should investigate this,” Kadam said.
The Dussehra rally thus became a platform for Shinde to defend the political choices made by his faction, accuse the opposition of betraying the 2019 electoral mandate and announce support measures for distressed farmers, while Kadam’s remarks brought Jarange Patil’s allegations and demands for an inquiry into his assets into the political spotlight.
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