'Come On, Kill Me!' Uddhav Thackeray Dares Opponents In Fiery Speech On Sena Foundation Day; Eknath Shinde Responds

Mumbai: The 59th Foundation Day of the Shiv Sena on Thursday escalated into a fierce political and personal feud between the two rival factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, each accusing the other of betraying the legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray. Uddhav in his speech dared his opponents saying, "Come on, kill me!" Shinde responded to Uddhav's dare during his address.

In parallel rallies across Mumbai, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena UBT held a high-voltage event at Shanmukhananda Hall in Sion, while Shinde’s faction marked the occasion at NSCI Dome in Worli. Both camps invoked Balasaheb’s name to assert their legitimacy, but the event quickly turned into a public display of animosity and accusations.

Uddhav Thackeray's Bollywood Style Dare

At his rally, Uddhav launched a scathing attack on both the BJP and the Shinde-led Sena. He accused them of conspiring to erase the 'Thackeray brand' from Maharashtra’s political landscape. Drawing from pop culture, he quoted a powerful line from the 1991 film Prahaar, saying, “Like Nana Patekar in the movie, I stand before the traitors and say, ‘Come on, kill me!’” He added mockingly, “But come with an ambulance, like in Amitabh Bachchan's Trishul, because you’ll need it.”

Uddhav’s speech focused on portraying himself as the true inheritor of Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology, while accusing Shinde of being a pawn in the BJP’s larger plan to dismantle Marathi pride and Shiv Sena’s core values.

Shinde's Response To Uddhav's Dare

Responding sharply, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde fired back, accusing Uddhav of 'political betrayal' and deserting Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology for power. “He says ‘kill me’ – but how do you kill someone who is already politically dead?” said Shinde, referring to Shiv Sena UBT’s poor performance in the last state elections.

Claiming to be the true Shiv Sainik, Shinde stated, “We don’t provoke anyone, but if provoked, we won’t spare anyone.” He alleged that Uddhav had “abandoned Hindutva” by joining hands with the Congress and NCP through the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. “Had Balasaheb been alive, he would have punished Uddhav for such betrayal,” Shinde declared.