Polls, Shivaji, Dharavi take centrestage in Sena vs Sena Dussehra showdown

Rival Shiv Sena faction leaders Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray traded barbs at their respective Dussehra rallies on Saturday evening. With the Maharashtra Assembly election around the corner, the two leaders focused their attacks on developmental issues while also trying to play the emotional “who is real Shiv Sena” card.
Addressing the Dussehra event in Azad Maidan, Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde targeted his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray on a range of issues from governance to politics.
Eknath Shinde slammed Uddhav for the latter’s criticism over the redevelopment project in Dharavi slum, which is being handled by the Adani Group.
Shinde claimed that when Thackeray was the Chief Minister, he only wanted the eligible residents of Dharavi to be rehabilitated. After he became Chief Minister, a decision was taken to rehabilitate all 2.10 lakh residents of Dharavi, Shinde said.
“You were in power for 25 years but never prioritised people’s happiness. You built bungalow after bungalow while Dharavi’s residents remained in slums,” Shinde said.
Shinde asserted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance applied breaks to infrastructure projects in Mumbai and Maharashtra, which he “uprooted”.
At his Dussehra event in Dadar’s Shivaji Park, Uddhav Thackeray accused the Shinde government of “selling” Dharavi to Adani.
“I am not fighting only for myself. I am fighting for all of you. They sold Dharavi to Adani and the people of Dharavi are facing many problems. I assure all of you and promise you that when we come to power I will cancel this project of Adani in Dharavi,” Uddhav Thackeray said.
“Tata gave us salt which spices our food. But some industrialists are taking away Mumbai’s saltpan lands,” Thackeray said in his speech, without naming anybody.
Eknath Shinde also took a dig at Uddhav Thackeray for joining hands with the Congress, saying “true Shiv Sainiks don’t leave their ground or ideology”.
Shinde said the revolt he led “freed Shiv Sena” from those who betrayed the ideals of party founder Bal Thackeray.
Uddhav Thackeray, on the other hand, called the Shinde-led Shiv Sena a “duplicate”. “Son of Abdalis from Delhi wanted to diminish me. But you all (Shiv Sainiks) stood by me like Maa Jagdambe and gave me strength,” he said.
Speaking about elections, Eknath Shinde said the MVA’s Lok Sabha performance in Maharashtra was “accidental” and that the state will see a repeat of Haryana, where the BJP returned to power for a record third time.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi won 30 of the 48 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, while the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP combine could win only 17.
“Everyone knows whose votes led to your victory. Iqbal Musa, bomb blast accused, took part in campaigning. Pakistan’s flag can be seen in your campaign trails. Congratulations to the votes you got after abusing (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (Union Home Minister Amit) Shah and abandoning Hindutva,” he said.
“There is no difference between MIM (AIMIM) and Sena UBT,” Shinde alleged, alluding to the Muslim votes which the Sena UBT bagged in the Lok Sabha polls.
Uddhav Thackeray, meanwhile, targeted his former ally BJP, saying the party should be ashamed of calling itself “Bharatiya”. He also compared it to the Kauravas, accusing it of showing arrogance.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also asked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), BJP and Shiv Sena’s ideological parent, whether it accepted today’s “hybrid BJP”.
“I respect RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. But I don’t like his views. He is saying come together to save Hindutva. Why didn’t you or Modi save Hindutva in the last 10 years?” he asked.
Uddhav Thackeray also raised the issue of collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Sindhudurg district. He promised to build temples of the Maratha king in every district of the state after coming to power.