In a blistering attack aimed squarely at his former party head, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde used his Dussehra speech on Thursday to present a stark contrast between his brand of people-first politics and that of the opposition. The Shiv Sena boss firmly positioned himself as the true torchbearer of Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology, dismissing his opponents as self-serving elitists.

Shinde took a sharp, colloquial jibe at the opposition’s perceived fragility, contrasting their luxurious lifestyle with the hardiness required for public service:

“ Jhud ko chahiye kaaju badam ; pani mein gaye to sardi zukaam ," he said in a veiled taunt, suggesting that his rivals were too soft and privileged for the challenges of serving the common man.

Shi

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