Shinde sharpens attack on Uddhav as electoral battle approaches

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde marked the Shiv Sena's 57th Foundation Day by lambasting former party chief Uddhav Thackeray, whom he accused of "working against the Hindutva ideals of the party" and being "an insecure leader who cut his colleagues down to size". Shinde, who is himself a former autorickshaw driver, also taunted Thackeray by saying: "An autorickshaw has thrown a Mercedes into the pit." The Shiv Sena is currently preparing for its first electoral battle with the Thackeray faction in the upcoming Mumbai civic polls.

While celebrating the 57th Foundation Day of the Shiv Sena on the eve of June 20—the day he began his rebellion against then party chief Uddhav Thackeray a year ago—Chief Minister Eknath Shinde sharpened the attack on his former boss.

Mumbai, India - June 19, 2023 : Shivsena 57th Foundation Day at Nesco, Goregaon, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, June 19, 2023. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

“One year ago, we staged a revolution,” he declared in his address to his party workers at the NESCO grounds in Goregaon. The CM then went all guns blazing at Thackeray, lambasting him for “working against the Hindutva ideals of the party” and being “an insecure leader who cut his colleagues down to size”. The former autorickshaw driver also taunted Thackeray with: “An autorickshaw has thrown a Mercedes into the pit.”

Suggesting that Thackeray got his position simply by virtue of being born in the Thackeray family, Shinde recounted the number of sacrifices carried out by Shiv Sainiks like himself for the party. “Many were jailed when they worked for the Shiv Sena,” he remarked. “I spent 40 days in a Karnataka jail. Other leaders also faced cases. I wish to know where you were when we faced police cases.”

Shinde also recalled the day his mother passed away. “The doctor called and told me about her condition but I was campaigning for the Lok Sabha candidate in Palghar,” he said. “We completed the meetings and then I went to the hospital.”

The CM, who had to recently face the ire of ally BJP after his advertisement campaign projecting him as a more popular chief ministerial candidate than Devendra Fadnavis, also strongly defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah while slamming Thackeray for criticising the duo in his speeches. “You received just one notice and you rushed to Modi and Shah,” he mocked, referring to the questioning of one of Thackeray’s relatives by a central agency.

A year after his rebellion, the Shinde Sena’s prime focus is on the first electoral battle with the Thackeray faction in the upcoming Mumbai civic polls. So far, the party has a dozen former corporators on its side.

Shinde is also taking steps to win the battle of perception with Thackeray. In addition to winning over local functionaries, he has been paying attention to the infrastructure work in Mumbai and also targeting the Thackeray faction over alleged corruption in the BMC which the undivided Sena ruled over for over two decades. On Monday, he also decided to appoint a special investigation team under the Mumbai police chief into alleged irregularities in the BMC, a move aimed at putting the Thackeray faction on the backfoot.