Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the Supreme Court on Thursday, expressing grief and anger over the three-year delay in delivering a verdict on his party’s petition regarding its name and symbol.
Speaking at the ‘Nirdhar’ summit, organised by opposition parties including the Communist bloc at Y.B. Chavan Auditorium in South Mumbai to oppose the Public Security Bill, Thackeray accused the judiciary of allowing democracy to “crumble on its doorstep.”
“Democracy has been standing at the gate of the Supreme Court for three years without justice. It could die any moment. The judiciary should feed water into the mouth of democracy by delivering its verdict,” Thackeray said.
Taking aim at the apex court’s priorities, he criticised the decision to promptly constitute a three-judge bench to hear a petition related to the removal of stray dogs in Delhi while leaving pending cases filed by the NCP and Shiv Sena over party identity unresolved. “The Chief Justice moves quickly when it is about dogs, but for us, the matter remains unheard,” he said.
Quoting former Union minister Maneka Gandhi’s remarks that removing dogs from streets would lead to monkeys descending on roads, Thackeray quipped, “I have seen some monkeys in Parliament — and I’m not speaking metaphorically. I saw them in the premises of the new Parliament building.”
Criticism of Public Security Bill and Double Standards
Thackeray also launched a blistering attack on the recently passed Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, calling out alleged double standards in its application. Referring to the arrest of former Vasai–Virar Municipal Commissioner Anil Kumar after cash was recovered from him, Thackeray contrasted it with a viral photo of minister Sanjay Shirsat with a bag of cash. “Why wasn’t he arrested? Instead, the state government told him, ‘Don’t leave such bags open next time.’ That’s the difference,” he remarked sarcastically.
He warned that the law could be misused to target political opponents. “They arrest someone on false charges, deny bail, and then, after years, the courts are told there’s no evidence. Who will compensate for the years of life lost?” he asked.
Attack on BJP’s Historical Role
The former chief minister also targeted the BJP, claiming its leaders had no role in the freedom struggle or the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. “They are like snakes sitting in ready-made burrows, expecting to be fed milk by the people. They have never set ideals or created thoughts — they only steal others’,” Thackeray alleged.
He also criticised the BJP’s tendency to blame former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for historical issues, noting, “They have had power for 11 years now — what have they done?”
Agreeing with a remark by Maharashtra Congress president Harshavardhan Sapkal that India might have taken a different path had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel become Prime Minister instead of Nehru, Thackeray said, “Even Mahatma Gandhi and others made a mistake by choosing Nehru. If Patel had been PM, the RSS would not be visible today.”
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Sharad Pawar Warns of Threat to Freedom of Expression
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Sharad Pawar also spoke at the conclave, warning that the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill would trample on citizens’ freedom of expression. While admitting that the opposition failed to strongly resist the bill when first introduced in the Assembly, he said corrective action was taken in the Legislative Council. Pawar further alleged that “regressive forces” were infiltrating the judiciary, deepening concerns about democratic erosion.
The ‘Nirdhar’ summit brought together opposition leaders in a unified stand against what they described as the BJP-led government’s authoritarian measures, calling on citizens to view the movement as a “second struggle for Independence.”
