Mumbai, October 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the ruling leadership at the party’s annual Dussehra rally at Mumbai’s historic Shivaji Park, challenging Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and extending support to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and young protesters.
Addressing supporters on Vijayadashami, Thackeray targeted Fadnavis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He also raised concerns over Maharashtra’s law and order situation, drought and growing public discontent.
Criticising the state government over the recent attack on actor Tiger Shroff, Thackeray mocked Fadnavis by calling him “Chamko” and questioned his decision to meet the actor soon after the incident.
“An attack took place on actor Tiger Shroff, and this ‘Chamko’ rushed to meet him right away. The police caught the culprits, but should we praise them for that or what? It was Tiger Shroff’s good fortune that he survived. However, what use would it be if the bullet had hit him fatally and the police caught the thugs later? What kind of a government are you running? It is infuriating that these people have left the police to handle everything else while they only focus on washing their own linen,” Thackeray said.
Questioning the effectiveness of police security measures, he also asked how the attackers had managed to enter the area despite security checks.
“Whenever anything minor happens on our side, we are immediately summoned to the police station. Didn’t these police officers spot the attackers who targeted Tiger Shroff? Were your noses blocked with cotton plugs during the blockade (nakabandi)? How did those goons manage to enter?”
Thackeray also criticised the state government over its reported affidavit in the High Court describing Maharashtra as a hub for “urban Naxals”. He questioned where urban Naxalism existed in the state’s cities and alleged that criminals were entering Maharashtra from states such as Uttar Pradesh.
Turning to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Thackeray issued a direct challenge to Fadnavis over the government’s handling of the law and order situation.
“Sitting far away in Sabarmati jail is Lawrence Bishnoi, whose goons claim they have 70,000 shooters. Devendra Fadnavis-ji, if you truly have any courage, go to Sabarmati, drag Lawrence Bishnoi out right in front of your ‘boss’ sitting in Delhi, and then talk big!”
Thackeray also criticised the government over nationwide protests and youth unrest, predicting that the ruling establishment would face political consequences for what he described as damage to the country’s economy.
During his speech, he referred twice to Abhijit Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), praising him for challenging those in power. Thackeray recalled visiting the site of the party’s first protest to meet Dipke and the young demonstrators.
Recalling the injuries and hardships faced by protesters, Thackeray said, “I went to meet Abhijit Dipke and the young protesters during that first protest. Someone’s head was injured, there were visible welts and marks on bodies, and a girl’s clothes were torn. Looking at their wounds, I told them to go home. But they responded, ‘Even if we die, we will not back down now.’ Modi ji and Amit Shah, this is the accumulated wrath of 12 years. You have tortured the country for 12 years.”
Condemning what he described as a crackdown on dissent, Thackeray said young people protesting on the streets and at Jantar Mantar should be viewed as revolutionaries rather than labelled “urban Naxals”.
He also highlighted the participation of middle-class families in the protests, saying parents had joined their children in the youth-led movement.
“The children protesting at Jantar Mantar belong to good families. I met a small girl there, very young, along with her parents. Parents stepped out onto the streets with their children for this youth movement. They were reviled and labelled as ‘ideological Naxals’ (Dimagi Naxal), but these protesters are not Naxals—they are revolutionaries,” Thackeray said.
Concluding his address, Thackeray blamed the ruling alliance for undermining the financial stability of ordinary people and warned that the government would eventually face the consequences of its actions.
FOLLOW NOW
