‘Those who called Ram bhakts 'haramkhor'…’: Eknath Shinde tears into Uddhav Thackeray

Jul 18, 2026

Mumbai, July 18, 2026 (ANI): On Uddhav Thackeray's Ram Raksha event in Nagpur, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “Those who called Ram bhakts (devotees) 'haramkhor' (scoundrels), who stated right inside the House, in the Assembly session, that engaging in the politics of Hindutva was a mistake on their part while serving as Chief Minister. And those who, in 2019, abandoned and renounced the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and aligned themselves with people who used to level accusations against Balasaheb Thackeray... and who mocked Swatantryaveer Savarkar by calling him 'Maafi-veer' (apology-hero)... go and join hands with such people, abandoning Hindutva, forsaking Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology, and stabbing their alliance partner, the BJP, in the back, they had abandoned Hindutva back then itself... This Ram Raksha is being done to protect their own party, not for the sake of Ram. Now they’ve realised that 'those who do not belong to Ram are of no use to anyone.' That is when they started invoking Lord Ram's name..." When asked about Shiv Sena (UBT) extending an invitation to CM Fadnavis, he said, “...They really should have invited their alliance partners, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav... Do they have a right to invoke the name of Lord Ram?... PM Modi actually built the Ram Mandir and revoked Article 370 in Kashmir... If Balasaheb Thackeray were alive today, he would have patted him on the back and honoured him. Yet, they are hurling abuses at him... What kind of politics is this? What kind of patriotism is this?... Driven by the greed for power, they abandoned Balasaheb Thackeray's ideals and gave up Hindutva. The people of Maharashtra are truly wise, and they have shown them their place in several elections...”