Ratnagiri: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has issued a sharp warning to former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying, “It was the bearded man who dismantled your anti-Maharashtra alliance and put the state on the path of development. So, don’t take a bearded man lightly.”
While addressing a public rally in Ratnagiri, Shinde launched a scathing attack on Uddhav Thackeray and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). He claimed that the people of Maharashtra had “locked the opposition in a box,” and criticized Thackeray for underestimating him and his allies. “They used to ask, ‘Who is Eknath Shinde? Who is Ramdas Kadam?’ But we have shown them who we are. So, don’t take the bearded ones lightly. Instead of making baseless accusations against me, think about why people are abandoning you. Do some self-reflection. The beard has already shaken things up once, so why challenge me unnecessarily?” Shinde said.
Shinde also took a dig at Thackeray’s frequent references to “khoke” (boxes of money) in political discourse. “No one knows more about ‘khoke’ than Narayan Rane. The people of Maharashtra have already locked the opposition in a box, so stop using the term ‘khoke’ now. But even when a rope burns, its twists remain,” he remarked.
He credited Narayan Rane and Ramdas Kadam for their contributions to expanding Shiv Sena in Konkan, highlighting their past efforts. “I always believed that if a party has to grow, its workers must be empowered. Ramdas Kadam and Narayan Rane have experienced the consequences of not doing so. Shiv Sena is a party of its workers—there is no sole owner here. In our party, a king’s son doesn’t automatically become king. The one who works the hardest becomes the leader,” Shinde declared, taking a direct jab at Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership
