'No Point in Such Marches': Girish Mahajan Slams Thackeray Brothers
Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan criticises Uddhav and Raj Thackeray for protesting against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, calling the marches pointless.
Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan has launched a scathing attack on Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, dismissing their recent protest march against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar as a futile exercise. Speaking on Sunday, Mahajan suggested that the leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are simply looking for scapegoats to blame for their electoral setbacks.
Blame Game Over Election Results
The controversy erupted after the two Thackeray brothers led a joint protest march toward the BMC headquarters in Mumbai. They targeted the poll panel's functioning, specifically regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Mahajan, however, argued that such demonstrations serve no real purpose.
"There is no point in taking out such marches," Mahajan stated. He noted that when leaders fail to accept election outcomes, they tend to direct their frustration toward various institutions and high-profile figures. "If they have to blame someone, they start blaming everyone for the results that came against them in the elections. They speak against Supreme Court judges, the Election Commission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Devendra Fadnavis, and in the end, they have nothing in their hands," he added.
A Call to Connect with the People
Mahajan further criticized the Thackeray brothers for their perceived detachment from the public. He suggested that instead of organizing noisy protests, the leaders should focus on grassroots engagement to regain political relevance.
He remarked that the leaders had failed to deliver while in power and have similarly failed to connect with the masses after losing it. "They should go among the people; that will benefit them. They did nothing while in power and after coming out of power, they have not gone among the people either," Mahajan said, adding that creating a ruckus after the political process is complete is ineffective.
The Thackeray Brothers' Allegations
The protest was fueled by serious allegations made by Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray regarding the integrity of the electoral process. The opposition leaders have been demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, citing concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Uddhav Thackeray characterized the protest as a stand against a "dictator" and an assault on democracy and voter rights. He made a sweeping claim that names of approximately 13 crore people had been deleted from electoral rolls across the country, alleging similar exclusions in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Raj Thackeray focused his criticism on the legality and necessity of the SIR in Maharashtra. He demanded that the entire exercise be cancelled, questioning why it was being conducted under current circumstances. "The law says that SIR is conducted if an emergency situation arises," Raj Thackeray argued.
He further alleged a pattern of manipulation in the voter lists, claiming that while a large number of voters were added during the Maharashtra Assembly elections, nearly two crore voters are now being removed through the SIR process.