Uddhav Thackeray calls for regime change, targets Maha govt over agrarian crisis & law and order

Mumbai, Oct 20 (IANS) Shiv Sena-UBT Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government during the party's annual Dussehra rally at the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park in Mumbai.  

Addressing a massive gathering of party workers, Thackeray raised pressing issues ranging from farmers' distress to high-profile security matters.

He openly asserted, "We are here to change the regime," saying that a government must be changed when it stops serving the public interest.

He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government of systematically curbing democratic fundamentals, claiming they are taking away citizens' basic rights to vote and peaceful protest.

He criticised authorities over the treatment of protesters, alleging that youth and women have faced high-handed treatment.

Opening his address with his traditional greeting, Thackeray urged party cadres to stand tall and fearless.

"Do not live life like chickens penned in a coop. Live even if it is for a single day, but live like tigers," he exhorted.

He also asserted that neither their identity nor their sacred saffron flag ('Bhagwa') could ever be stolen by anyone.

Coming down heavily on the state government over the agrarian crisis, Thackeray questioned the actual relief provided to farmers affected by wet droughts and heavy unseasonal rains.

He claimed that despite tall claims by the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding massive relief packages, farmers have received little to no aid.

Thackeray said that installments under the Namo Kisan Yojana failed to reach beneficiaries, mocking that the state government had merely "flung five thousand rupees in the faces of farmers".

Highlighting severe economic distress, he recounted an incident where a youth allegedly died by suicide due to a lack of money for a school excursion, criticising the state administration for running a government built entirely on hollow announcements and unfulfilled loan-waiver promises.

Addressing the law and order situation and a recent firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff, Thackeray launched a direct challenge at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Referring to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi—who is lodged in a Gujarat prison—Thackeray took a sarcastic jibe, saying that Bishnoi was sitting comfortably in Sabarmati jail eating fafda and dhokla.

He threw an open challenge to CM Fadnavis, saying, "If Fadnavis has the courage, he should bring him (Lawrence Bishnoi) here from Sabarmati jail."

Thackeray criticised the state government and the Election Commission of India for the deletion of 13 crore voters from electoral rolls nationwide—an amount roughly equivalent to the entire population of Maharashtra.

He alleged massive irregularities and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

He also asked the Union government not to neglect the Gen Z and the issues raised by them.

This year's Dussehra rally marks a significant milestone as it coincides with the birth centenary year of Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray, the diamond jubilee (60th year) tradition of the Sena's Dussehra rally, and the centenary of Shivaji Park's naming.

--IANS

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