Ndtv

Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held a massive Dussehra rallyPune: The "huge" crowd at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Dussehra rally in Mumbai showed who leads the real Shiv Sena, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said here on Thursday.He also dubbed the other rally held by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday as "Shimga", a pejorative term used to describe abusive rhetoric.He himself did not listen to the speeches of both Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde when they were underway, the BJP leader said.He was busy with the Dhammachara Pravartan Din celebration in Nagpur but got the gist of the two speeches and listened to Mr Shinde's speech on YouTube later, Mr Fadnavis said."I will not give any reaction on Uddhav Thackeray's speech. No need to give reaction on 'Shimga', he told reporters.The Shimga celebration in parts of Maharashtra ahead of the Holi festival involves lighting of bonfires, but revellers using cuss words or obscene language in a light-hearted way was also customary during the festival once."There was nothing in the speech except Shimga," Mr Fadnavis said."There was a huge gathering at the BKC ground whose capacity is the double of that of Shivaji Park (where Uddhav Thackeray spoke), and the BKC ground was filled to the brim... Shiv Sainiks proved that Eknath Shinde's Sena is the real Shiv Sena and that is why I would like to congratulate him," the BJP leader further said.On opposition's jibe that Mr Shinde, who rebelled against Mr Thackeray's leadership in June this year and broke away to form a new government, read out the BJP's 'script' at the rally, Mr Fadnavis said those who say this should find a new writer."How many times you will say the same thing? Ask your writer to use creativity or get a new writer," he said.Mr Fadnavis, a former Chief Minister, asked a question about Mr Thackeray's assertion that he was ready to swear on his parents that the BJP had promised the CM's post to the Shiv Sena for half the term before the 2019 elections.He had already given his reaction, Mr Fadnavis said.The reason for the split in the Shiv Sena was that Mr Thackeray put Shiv Sena's ideology aside and accepted the NCP and Congress's ideology and sat beside people who had connections with the Mumbai blasts and those who abuse freedom fighter VD Savarkar', he said.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com"I should congratulate Eknath Shinde as he talked about development. He talked about what we are doing and he talked about what we are planning to do. This was missing when Uddhav Thackeray was Chief Minister. He always spoke like a party chief," Mr Fadnavis said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Indian Express

The moment dust settles on the Dussehra showdown between the two Shiv Senas Wednesday, they will have another battle on their hands: the one for Mumbai’s Andheri East Assembly seat bypoll, on November 3.The bypoll, necessitated due to the death of sitting Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, will see the first major electoral contest between Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena and the BJP since the power equations between them changed. The Shinde Sena is unlikely to contest the bypoll, leaving the seat to its new partner.The result will be a considerable psychological boost for the winning side ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, due soon after. The bruised Uddhav camp desperately wants to retain its BMC stronghold, while the BJP with its new-found ally Eknath Shinde sees a chance to finally wrest India’s richest civic body.With its sizeable population of Marathi and North Indian voters, Andheri East has a good mix of electorate as an indicator of how Mumbai will vote. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar has claimed that they will win the seat by over 50,000 votes.The Uddhav side, which continues to see an exodus of MLAs, MPs and leaders to the Shinde Sena, especially in areas outside Mumbai, has announced that it will field the late Latke’s wife Rutuja Latke for the bypoll. The BJP will field former corporator Murji Patel, who had contested from Andheri East in the 2019 Assembly polls as an Independent and come second.Both the NCP and Congress have announced support to the Uddhav Sena’s candidate. Uddhav, in fact, is counting on strong pockets of Congress voters scattered across the constituency to help it win. The bypoll will also be the first test of endurance of the MVA alliance after having lost power in Maharashtra.While it may not join the fight itself, the Shinde Sena will be battling on at least one front. Should the Uddhav faction contest on the Sena symbol of bow and arrow, it might strengthen its case before the Election Commission on claiming the same. The Supreme Court has left the matter to the EC and, sources said, the Shinde camp may approach the panel to stop the Uddhav group from using the symbol in the bypoll.

The Indian Express

The Indian Express

From the announcement of a new national party, to the RSS Dussehra rally in Nagpur, here are political events and developments that are likely to make a splash today:KCR to announce national party: At the TRS’s general body meeting today, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, is expected to launch a national political party.Sources said that at an “auspicious time”, the CM will announce the renaming of the party to ‘Bharata Rashtra Samiti’ (BRS). This could mark the beginning of the CM’s long-standing dream to float an anti-BJP national front for which he has been touring the country and gaining support this year.JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy and 20 MLAs of the party flew to Hyderabad Tuesday to attend the launch of the new national political party. As per a JD (S) insider, the BRS will be a conglomeration of various regional parties, “to put up a united fight against the BJP”.Meanwhile, Congress’s general secretary communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh in conversation with reporters in Hyderabad said “the BJP and the TRS were two sides of the same coin”. “If you have a Sultan in Delhi, you have a Nizam in Hyderabad,” he said yesterday.The Sena versus Sena showdown in Mumbai: Holding a Dussehra rally at the city’s Shivaji park has been of great significance to the Shiv Sena. All of its monumental decisions and milestones through the years – such as the launch of its youth wing under the leadership of then 20-year-old Aaditya Thackeray in 2010 – were taken here.With the split and the ensuing flight to assert who the “real” party is, it is looking like the final showdown will be the events that Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray and CM Eknath Shinde have organised for today.The court may have asked the Uddhav faction to hold the rally at Shivaji park, but the Eknath Shinde side has pulled out all the stops for its rally at the MMRDA grounds in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) area in the city. Several thousand Thackeray supporters from rural Maharashtra have reached Mumbai in buses, trains, and private vehicles. The Shinde Camp claimed that around 400,000 Shiv Sainiks from across the state will be present at the rally and that it had organised around 4,000 buses to ferry them to the venue.All eyes and ears are on which event will attract more people and, more importantly, what will be said at the events.Bahubali actor Prabhas at Ramlila attended by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be the chief guest of the Dussehra ceremony at Red Fort today, organised by the Luv Kush Ramlila Committee, one of the oldest in Delhi. Accompanying him is actor Prabhas of Bahubali fame. In his latest film “Adipurush” – whose teaser was released this week – he is playing the role of Lord Ram. The film had its first run-in with controversy when MP Home minister Narottam Mishra on Tuesday warned the makers of legal action if “scenes that hurt religious sentiments” were not removed from the film.RSS rally at Nagpur: Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashmi, was the day the right-wing organisation was founded by KB Hegdewar in 1926. Every year, the RSS holds an annual rally to commemorate the same at its headquarters in Nagpur. The “sarsangchalak” or the head delivers a speech that holds importance for its members and affiliates.In 2020, for example, the current chief of the organisation, Mohan Bhagwat, threw his weight behind the central government on the three contentious farm laws and virtually endorsed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s theory of an “international conspiracy” against his state government.Last year, he called upon state governments to return all temple property under their control to “Hindu society” and repeated the organisation’s demand for a population policy to tackle what it claims is a “demographic imbalance”.(With PTI inputs)

Ndtv

Mumbai: For first time since the Shiv Sena's inception 56 years ago, two Dussehra rallies will be held in Mumbai on Wednesday by the party's rival factions -- led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray -- in what is being billed as a show of strength by both camps after a change in government in June.The rallies have generated intense interest in political circles and also among common citizens and there will be more than just speeches by the two friends-turns-foes as the rival factions will seek to present themselves as the 'real' Shiv Sena and try to claim the legacy of party founder the late Bal Thackeray.While the Uddhav Thackeray faction will hold its rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Dadar in central Mumbai, a venue associated with the Shiv Sena since its inception in 1966, the rebel group led by Shinde has organised their event at the MMRDA ground at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in the suburbs The sprawling MMRDA ground is located close to 'Matoshree', the private residence of the Thackeray family in suburban Bandra.Both the camps have claimed they are taking forward the ideals of Bal Thackeray, who was known to make fiery speeches at the Dussehra rallies at Shivaji Park year after year till his death in 2012. Since then, his son Uddhav Thackeray, a former CM who lost power in June following rebellion by his once trusted aide Shinde, had been addressing the annual event.A Dussehra rally is being held at Shivaji Park after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 restrictions.Both sides have claimed their rallies will be a grand success with top leaders giving last minute touches to the preparations for the mega shows. On the ground, the areas in and around the two venues are awashed in saffron flags and banners.Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is expected to launch attacks on the Shinde faction and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), his former ally which is now part of the government in the state. In his address, the chief minister is likely to target Uddhav Thackeray for "deviating" from the path of Hindutva and joining hands with his once rivals Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in November 2019.Rebellion by Mr Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership brought down the MVA government in June-end.Meanwhile, stringent security measures are in place as there is a possibility of supporters of the two rival factions coming face to face in the metropolis, which may lead to law and order issues.Thousands of buses --- of the state road transport and also private operators -- have been booked by the rival Sena factions to ferry their supporters to the venues from all over the state.Sheetal Mhatre, a spokesperson for the Shinde camp, said 3.5 to 4 lakh people are expected to attend the rally at the MMRDA ground.Arrangements for food and vehicle parking for those coming from outside the city have been made.Both sides have claimed supporters of Mr Shinde and Mr Thackeray will come in large numbers from outside Mumbai for the high-profile events.The Mumbai traffic police have made necessary arrangements for the parking of scores of buses that will bring workers to the rallies.Buses carrying supporters from western and north Mumbai will be parked along Senapati Bapat Marg and Kamgar Maidan, while those arriving from Navi Mumbai and Thane will be parked at Five Gardens, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Edanwala Road, an official said.Cars will be parked at India Bulls Finance, IndiaBulls One Centre and Kohinoor Square.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comFor the BKC event, buses will be parked behind the family court in Bandra, near Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, the MMRDA ground and near Jio garden in the vicinity.(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

The Indian Express

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Wednesday declared his faction of the Shiv Sena as the true inheritor of Bal Thackeray’s legacy and accused former chief minister Uddhav Thackery of betraying ideals of his father as well as the Hindutva ideology.“We are not gaddars (traitors). Everyone knows who the real traitors are. The betrayal took place in 2019 when you joined hands with Congress. You betrayed Bal Thackeray, Hindutva and your voters,” he said, addressing his faction’s Dussehra Rally at Bandra Kurla Complex, a show of strength countering the rival rally by the Uddhav faction at Shivaji Park.While Uddhav’s main thrust was on targeting the BJP, Shinde, in his 90-minute address, spoke largely about his rival.“You should introspect why we left, instead of calling us gaddars. Why did Raj Thackeray leave, and why did Narayan Rane leave? Were they all traitors?” Shinde said.“I will never digress from the thoughts of Bal Thackeray. True heirs of Bal Thackeray are those who have inherited his thoughts,” Shinde said, repeatedly invoking the Sena founder.I will never digress from the thoughts of Bal Thackeray. Today you called me Kattappa [the ‘Baahubali’ character who stabbed his king], but even he was self-respecting and not a two-faced politician like yoWith the Shinde faction failing to get the Sena’s traditional Shivaji Park venue for the rally, it used optics to reinforce its links to Bal Thackeray. The poster at the back of the stage read ‘Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain’, a statement Bal Thackeray made after the 1992 Mumbai riots. At the centre of the stage was a chair the Sena founder used during his visits to Thane in 2009-2010—Shinde paid tribute to the chair with a garland after he arrived on stage at 7.30 pm. At the beginning of the rally, snippets of Bal Thackeray’s speeches — criticising the Congress and the desire for the CM’s chair — were played as part of a musical video.Attacking Uddhav over his speech at Shivaji Park, which concluded a few minutes before his own speech began, Shinde said: “Today you called me Kattappa [the Baahubali character who stabbed his own king], but even he was self-respecting and not a two-faced politician like you.”Right at the beginning of his speech, Shinde kneeled on the stage and touched the ground with his forehead as tribute to the audience. He said: “I am one of you, I am like you. This will mark the end of dynasty politics in Shiv Sena.”Shinde added: “Shiv Sena is not your private limited company. It is the result of the sweat and blood of thousands of Shiv Sainiks, and you gave it away to Congress and NCP for personal gain. Bal Thackeray used to say he would rather retire than join hands with scoundrels [Congress], and you disrespected his thought.”He also targeted Uddhav over his party’s new tagline displayed at Shivaji Park — “Ekanishtha” meaning loyal. Shinde said: “What is loyal? Who are left? How many are left? Everyone will come here [to Shinde camp]. This is emotional blackmailing and it will not work.”Shinde’s speech also had praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The Prime Minister has made our country proud, and spread the name of our country far and wide. Everyone across the world respects him. When any country faces calamities, India is the first to help that country in abundance.”

The Indian Express

Addressing his much-anticipated Dussehra rally, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday, without naming the Maharashtra Chief Minister, labelled the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction as traitors, accusing them of conspiring against him when he was at his “most vulnerable physical state after suffering a debilitating illness”.The former Chief Minister, while addressing his party cadre at the annual rally, launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), once again questioning its version of Hindutva, and stated that the idea of democracy was under threat under the dispensation at the Centre.“Breaking the alliance with the BJP does not mean that we have left the fold and ideology of Hindutva. I do not need to learn Hindutva from a party whose leaders have bowed their heads at the tomb of Jinnah and went uninvited to Pakistan to meet Nawaz Sharif,” Thackeray said during his 45-minute address to party workers at Shivaji Park, which was packed to capacity with Shiv Sainiks who had come to the state capital from across the state.Taking on the Central government, Thackeray said, “There is a genuine worry on whether democracy in this country can stay alive. This is a warning call for all citizens. There is a genuine fear that we, as a country, may get pushed into servitude. There is a need for all patriots to unite.”The Sena chief said the BJP was trying to cover up its shortcoming in ruling the country by evoking its version of Hindutva. “You (the BJP) speak about the cow, but why don’t you speak about the rising inflation in the country? Speak about it as well. But just to divert the attention of people, they speak about Hindutva,” Thackeray said.Thackeray also took a swipe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said that he was busy conspiring in toppling the governments in states ruled by Opposition parties instead of concentrating on the work assigned to a country’s Home Minister.In the Ankita Bhandari murder case, the resort where it happened belonged to a BJP leader. In the Bilkis Bano case, sentences of the convicts were waived. These are the values of the BJP“Instead of fulfilling his duties as the Home Minister, his task these days is visiting states ruled by the Opposition and toppling the governments there,” Thackeray said.He further challenged Shah to “bring back the land which has been occupied by Pakistan and China” instead of making statements of “showing Shiv Sena its place”, alluding to a recent remark made by Shah to BJP members during his visit to Mumbai.“You came here and said you will show us the ground. We are on the ground only. But I challenge you to retrieve the ground that we have lost to Pakistan in the form of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as well as China. Do something about that first,” Thackeray said.He also took a swipe at the BJP over RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that there was a need to empower women.“In the Ankita Bhandari murder case in Uttarakhand, the resort where it happened belonged to a BJP leader. In the Bilkis Bano case, men who raped her and killed her small child, men who were convicted, their sentences were waived off. These men were felicitated and welcomed. These are the values of the BJP,” Thackeray said.While the focus of Thackeray’s speech was targeting the BJP, he also took a swipe at the Sena’s breakaway faction, stating that they were traitors and would have to live with the “ignominy of being called traitors for the rest of their lives”.He said, “They are traitors only.. even if they have posts of ministers now, it won’t be the case for a long time.. but their identity of being traitors will be theirs forever and cannot be wiped out ever.” Thackeray further said, “They are duplicates and fake. They think that they have become Balasaheb themselves..”Without referring to Shinde by name, Thackeray said he was betrayed by people whom he had confided in. “I feel sad about only one thing. I had given responsibility for handling the affairs of the party(during the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi [MVA] government) to an individual. But when I was in hospital and in a vulnerable state, the same person was conspiring to break the party and finish me off forever,” he said.Thackeray made an emotional outreach to the Sainiks gathered at the rally, asking them to support the party while promising that the Shiv Sena will bounce back with double the force. “Today, I have nothing. We will have a difficult path ahead. But, with your support, the Shiv Sena will rise again. It will bounce back and I will make a Shiv Sainik the Chief Minister again. We have to defeat the traitors in every election,” Thackeray said.Thackeray also praised the Sena’s MVA coalition partners – the Congress and the NCP – stating they gave the party respect. “When we renamed Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv, the coalition immediately agreed. Still they (the BJP) say we left Hindutva? Where were they (Shinde faction) that time? Touring Guwahati and Surat?” the former CM said.The Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar came after a battle with its rival – the Shinde-led faction – over the venue which culminated in the Bombay High Court ruling in Thackeray’s favour in its verdict in the matter on September 23.

Times of India

MUMBAI: Terming his faction as the real Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray as "the real betrayer," CM Eknath Shinde went all out in defence of PM Modi and union home minister Amit Shah at his Dussehra rally. Addressing his first rally at BKC, he said it was Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray's dream that Article 370 be abrogated and the Ram Mandir be built in Ayodhya. "This was fulfilled by Modi and Shah and yet you (Uddhav) mock them," he said. Pointing to the huge gathering, Shinde said now no one would question which was the real Shiv Sena. Shinde said he was proud to be the handyman of Modi and Shah rather than being the handyman of those who support Dawood and Yakub Memon, reports Clara Lewis. Attacking Uddhav, Shinde said in his lust for power, he has destroyed the Sena. "We are not betrayers. You betrayed the mandate of the people in 2019. You got votes with hoardings that had pictures of Balasaheb Thackeray on one side and Modi on the other. Balasaheb used to run the government with a remote control. You handed over Shiv Sena's remote control to NCP-Congress," he said. Bal Thackeray's son and Uddhav's elder brother Jaidev, his estranged wife Smita and son Nihar made it a point to be present at the CM's rally. Shiv Sena not a Pvt Ltd Co, it belongs to Sainiks: CM Addressing his first rally at BKC, CM Eknath Shinde accused Uddhav Thackeray of ceasing to call Balasaheb 'Hinduhriday Samrat' and referring to him only as 'Shiv Sena chief' to please Congress. "We are ideologically opposed to Congress-NCP, yet you embraced them. Even when they moved to slit Sena's throat, you did nothing," Shinde said. He said Thackeray preferred to listen "only to Sanjay like in the Mahabharata", hence the rebellion. "If Sena and Sainiks would not have destroyed Congress bastions, you would not have reached where you have. You make fun of our livelihoods, calling us 'paan tapriwala,' 'rickshawwala.' Can only zamindars, capitalists, those born with a golden spoon become CM?" he asked. Shinde said Thackeray went to court to get Shivaji Park to hold his rally. As CM he could've intervened, but he did not as "it is my responsibility to maintain law and order." He added Uddhav had taken help of Congress to bring people for his rally, just as his people had taken part in the latter's Bharat Jodo Yatra. He accused Thackeray of "burning Balasaheb's ideology." "Do you have moral authority to stand on that ground and speak? Thousands of Shiv Sainiks shed their blood to make the Sena, and you handed over the party's remote control to NCP. Balasaheb called them scoundrels, and you tied Sena to them," Shinde said. Hence, said Shinde, Sainiks rebelled. For 3 months, the CM said he has been moving around and has got a huge response from people. "Had we made a mistake, people would not have come out in such numbers. Shiv Sena is not a private limited company. Sena does not belong to Uddhav or Eknath. It is the Sena of Balasaheb's thoughts and belongs only to Shiv Sainiks," he said. Shinde said two words have been used to describe them - "gaddar" (betrayer) and "khoke" (boxes). "The betrayal happened in 2019. We are not "gaddars" (betrayers) but "Gadar" (revolutionaries)," he said. Reacting to Thackeray's statement that they were a group stealing another's father, he said Uddhav has tried to sell off the father's ideology. "You have become helpless for power. To please Congress-NCP you said we rotted for 25 years with BJP. Yakub Memon was responsible for Mumbai blasts, yet you made an MLA who sought to get his death penalty revoked a minister. How much salt will you rub into Mumbaikars' wounds?" asked Shinde. He further said, "Now that you have lost power you remember the ordinary Shiv Sainik. You did work from home. We never did 'work from home' but 'work without home.'" On Thackeray demanding they resign and go with BJP, he questioned why Thackeray did not resign when he went against the people's will. Hitting out at Uddhav for calling his son Shrikant, an MP, as "kaarta" and that his grandson was in line for a councillor ticket, Shinde said on becoming CM, he made his son (Aaditya) a minister instead of giving an MLA from rural Maharashtra a chance. "My grandson is only 18 months old. Thackeray's downfall began after his birth," he said. He accused Uddhav of cutting down Sena leader Anand Dighe and others in the party. "After Dighe's death, I thought you'd ask me how to expand party in Thane. Instead you asked me about his property and who were holding it. By cutting the feet of those who were rising, you forgot you were cutting down Sena," said Shinde.

Ndtv

"Balasaheb said he won't go with the Congress. You did that," Eknath Shinde said.Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde flipped Uddhav Thackeray's slur of "Gaddar (traitor)" today, declaring it was he who had betrayed the Sena by forming an alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. It was an insult not only to Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray who was against both parties, but also the ordinary Shiv Sainik who had worked for the party for years, he said."Balasaheb said he would close down the Shiv Sena but won't go with the Congress. You did that and this was against Balasaheb," he said."You don't want to even talk about Hindutva now... They keep opposing (VD) Savarkar and you did nothing... Savarkar is our God and we take his name with pride but due to Congress we were asked to be quiet," Mr Shinde said.Mr Thackeray, he alleged, "makes fun of the Prime Minister and calls Home Minister Amit Shah Afzal Khan". But they worked to fulfill Balasaheb Thackeray's dreams of scrapping Article 370 of the constitution and building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya."Modi and Amit Shah are fulfilling the dream and ideology of Balasaheb," he added."Did we take this decision in happiness? Even we were sad while taking this decision. But we were suffering for 2.5 years and that's why we had to do something. That's why in June we did what we did and 33 countries were continuously googling what we were doing," he said.Levelling tit-for-tat allegations of greed, he said, "This isn't a private limited company where you will do a partnership" for that.  Addressing a rally this evening at Mumbai's Shivaji Park -- the traditional venue for Sena's Dussehra rally, Mr Thackeray had accused the Chief Minister of being a "traitor" to fulfil his "greed".PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comCalling his move to split the party a "gadar" (rebellion), he compared it to the mutiny of 1857 against the British. "In 1857, when our people fought against the British, that wasn't 'gaddari', that was 'kranti' (rebellion)... this is also a 'kranti'," he said.The Sena split in June after which the two factions have been toe-to-toe claiming the legacy of founder Balasaheb Thackeray. The battle for the bow and arrow election symbol has reached the Election Commission.

The Indian Express

Addressing the annual Dussehra rally at the iconic Shivaji Park ground in Mumbai, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Wednesday called his successor Eknath Shinde and his supporters “traitors” and insisted that this stamp will remain forever.“As time changes, Ravan’s face also changes. Today, it is the traitors (who are Ravan). When I was unwell and underwent a surgery, I had given the responsibility to him (Shinde). But he conspired against me thinking I will never stand up on my feet again,” Shiv Sena president Thackeray said while lashing out at Shinde, whose rebellion in June brought down the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.Thackeray said that the Shiv Sena does not belong to one person but to all loyal Sena workers. He added, “If you feel I should not remain the Sena president, I will quit. There is a limit to lust for power. After the act of treachery, he (Shinde) now wants the party, its symbol and also wants to be called the party president.”Last month, the Supreme Court had rejected the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s prayer to stay proceedings pending before the Election Commission of India over a request by CM Shinde for recognition of his faction as the real Shiv Sena and permission to use the party’s ‘bow and arrow’ election symbol.The former chief minister further went to say that he formed a post-poll alliance with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to teach the BJP a lesson for breaking its promises. “I swear on my parents that it had been decided that the BJP and Shiv Sena will share the chief minister’s post for two and a half years,” Thackeray said.Thackeray also said he did not need lessons on Hindutva from the BJP. “BJP leaders visited (then Pakistan prime minister) Nawaz Sharif on his birthday without invitation and bowed before Jinnah’s grave,” he said.Concluding his speech, Thackeray sought the support and strength from Sena cadre, saying the party will bounce back.“Today I have nothing. But with your support the Shiv Sena will rise again. I will make a Shiv Sena worker chief minister again. We have to defeat the traitors in every election,” he said.Our rebellion was not act of ‘betrayal’, but ‘revolt’ : CM ShindeMaharashtra CM Shinde, meanwhile, asserted his rebellion was not an act of “betrayal”, but a “revolt” and asked Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to kneel down at party founder Bal Thackeray’s memorial and apologise for going against his ideals and aligning with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).Addressing a mega rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex’s MMRDA ground on the occasion of Dussehra, Shinde said voters in the state elected the Shiv Sena and the BJP in the 2019 Assembly elections, but Thackeray “betrayed” people by joining hands with the Congress and the NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.The rally was attended by Jaidev Thackeray, brother of Uddhav Thackeray, and his estranged wife Smita Thackeray. Nihar Thackeray, grandson of late Bal Thackeray, also attended the rally besides Champa Singh Thapa, a long-time personal aide of the Sena founder.(With inputs from PTI)

The Economic Times

The Economic Times

BJP leader Pankaja Munde on Wednesday said she was not disgruntled over not getting any post, and would start preparations for contesting the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections from Parli. Munde, daughter of BJP stalwart late Gopinath Munde, was speaking at her customary Dussehra rally at Sawargaon Ghat in Beed district. "Struggle is part of everyone's life. Even Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had to struggle. Late Gopinath Munde had to struggle throughout his entire political career. He got into government for only four and a half years," she said. She was carrying forward the legacy of Jan Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya, Pankaja further said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda had seen the crowds at her earlier Dussehra rallies and asked her to work for these people, she said. "People think their leader should get something and there is nothing wrong with that. I am not holding any post since 2019 Assembly polls but I am not disgruntled," the former state minister said. She, however, made it clear that she wanted to contest again from Parli, where her estranged cousin and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde had defeated her last time. "But the party organization is above any person. I am not disgruntled with anyone. I shall start preparations for 2024 polls if the party gave me a ticket," she said. She changed herself as much as she could, and now it was the turn of those who wanted her to change, she said. Munde was a cabinet minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government in the state between 2014 and 2019. But she did not make it to the cabinet when the BJP came to power again this June in alliance with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.

The Indian Express

State Congress chief Nana Patole Wednesday said his party will throw its weight behind the Shiv Sena candidate in the upcoming Andheri East bypolls slated to be held on November 3. The seat was with Congress till 2014. Earlier this year, the seat fell vacant after the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke.The Shiv Sena has announced a ticket for Latke’s wife Rutuja.Patole said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance was formed after the results of the assembly election to keep the “communal BJP” out of power for the benefit of Maharashtra. “When BJP’s efforts to break the MVA were not successful, they broke Shiv Sena party. In the battle against BJP, the Congress party firmly stands with Shiv Sena and will not field any candidate. Instead, leaders and workers of the Congress will work full strength to ensure that the Shiv Sena candidate wins,” Patole said.Listing out the MVA government’s works, Patole said, “Our government (MVA) had taken many welfare decisions like farmer loan waivers and had done good work during the Covid-19 crisis. On the other hand, BJP misused the central agencies like ED and CBI to topple the MVA government by taking away Sena MLAs.”Mumbai Congress chief Bhai Jagtap said, “We are still in MVA and are together. If one of my leaders (Patole) says I have to support, then the Mumbai unit will support (Shiv Sena).”

Times of India

NAGPUR/WARDHA: Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor said that while he visited Deekshabhoomi and Sevagram as his first pit stop on the Congress party president poll campaign, he also wanted to send a message to people about the RSS. Tharoor, who ended his two-day tour of Nagpur and Wardha on Sunday, also said that Congress practices ideologies of both Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar. “To do this (visit) in the capital city of RSS also sends a signal that there is an alternative vision of India, to the one that is celebrated by an important institution in the city (RSS),” said Tharoor. He acknowledged that it was local Congress leader and former MLA Ashish Deshmukh who convinced him to come here. “That’s why I chose to accept this idea by Ashish, and come here to do these symbolic things,” said Tharoor. On Sunday, Tharoor marked Gandhi Jayanti by visiting the Bapu Kuti at Sevagram (Wardha district). Tharoor also tried his hand at Ambar Charkha at ‘Bapu Kuti’ in the ashram. He said, “Gandhi showed the way for freedom struggle because of which we got independence.” This was Tharoor’s second big port-of-call, a day after paying homage to Ambedkar at Deekshabhoomi where the latter had embraced Buddhism. During his visit to Deekshabhoomi, Tharoor also gifted his book on Ambedkar to the trustees of the historical place. In Wardha, Tharoor said that Congress party imbibes teaching of both the great leaders. “Both the ideologies of Ambedkar and Gandhi are in Congress. Of course, Ambedkar was not in Congress but he was supported by the party and made a chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution. So, it was my responsibility to pay tributes to both the great men,” said Tharoor. On Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Tharoor said that there has been a “tremendous” response. “I was amazed to see the number of people joining the movement,” said Tharoor and added that this could very well change the number game for 2024 general elections. “The Gandhis are an asset to our party. There is a huge voter base that absolutely loves the Gandhis,” said Tharoor. Tharoor pointed out that Modi was made PM by 36% of voters, “which means that 64% votes went to the other 40 major parties”. “We are also talking to them and in 2024 BJP will be defeated. Our party is now being revived through the yatra,” he said.