Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday, 20 October delivered a combative Dussehra address at Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai, launching a sustained attack on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The annual Vijayadashami rally, attended by a large gathering of party supporters, served as a platform for Thackeray to address law and order, organised crime, youth protests, and what he described as the ruling alliance's mismanagement of Maharashtra and the country.

Lawrence Bishnoi Challenge

In one of the sharpest moments of the speech, Thackeray issued a direct dare to Chief Minister Fadnavis over jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in Sabarmati jail. '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 declared. The remark underscored Opposition criticism that the state government has failed to neutralise the threat posed by Bishnoi's network despite repeated assurances.

Tiger Shroff Attack and Law-and-Order Critique

Thackeray used the recent attack on actor Tiger Shroff to mock what he called the performative response of the administration. He referred to Fadnavis using the derisive nickname 'Chamko' (showman), alleging the Chief Minister rushed to meet Shroff for optics rather than addressing systemic security failures. '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?' Thackeray said. He also questioned why routine security checkpoints — known as nakabandis — failed to intercept the attackers, asking pointedly: 'Were your noses blocked with cotton plugs during the blockade?'

Responding to the state government's affidavit in the Bombay High Court — reportedly claiming Maharashtra had become a hub for 'urban Naxals' — Thackeray counter-argued that the real security threat came from criminals infiltrating from other states, including Uttar Pradesh, rather than from urban dissent.

Backing CJP Founder and Youth Protesters

Thackeray made two pointed references to Abhijit Dipke, founder of the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), praising him for making 'life difficult for those in power.' He recalled personally visiting the site of the CJP's first protest to meet Dipke and young demonstrators, describing the physical injuries he witnessed. '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,'' he recounted. Thackeray framed this as the culmination of twelve years of public grievance, addressing Modi and Shah directly: 'This is the accumulated wrath of 12 years. You have tortured the country for 12 years.'

He also backed protesters at Jantar Mantar, defending them against the 'urban Naxal' label. 'The children protesting at Jantar Mantar belong to good families... these protesters are not Naxals — they are revolutionaries,' he declared. Notably, he highlighted that middle-class parents joined their children in the demonstrations, signalling a broadening of the protest base beyond student groups.

Warning to the Ruling Alliance

Concluding his address, Thackeray warned the Mahayuti alliance that it would face political consequences for what he described as the destruction of ordinary citizens' financial stability. He predicted that nationwide youth unrest and public anger would ultimately translate into electoral retribution. This Dussehra rally, a tradition going back decades for the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, has historically served as a barometer of the party's political temperature heading into election season.