Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray gave a powerful speech on the occasion of Dussehra. He urged voters to take the upcoming elections as an opportunity to take control of their future. He described the festive occasion as the right time for political change and made a direct appeal to the people of Maharashtra to ‘remove weapons from the Shami tree’, a symbolic reference to getting ready for war. He said that this is the time to take revenge from the political class which has been taking him lightly for years.
Addressing the people through podcast, Raj Thackeray said, ‘Today is Dussehra and it is one of the most auspicious days of the year. I wish you all the best. On this day we traditionally exchange leaves of the Shami tree as a symbol of gold. But over the years, the real wealth of Maharashtra has been looted while we are busy distributing these leaves among ourselves. Now is the time to take action. He said the ruling political parties have failed to deliver real progress. Thackeray appealed to the citizens not to be complacent in the upcoming elections.
‘Roads and flyovers not real progress’
Raj Thackeray said, ‘Constructing roads and flyovers is not real progress. Having mobile phones and gadgets does not lead to development. True progress will come from the collective upliftment of the society. Even after all these years, we are trapped in the false promises of the political class and are still groping in the dark. During this, Thackeray reminded the voters of their powerful role in democracy. He also used the metaphor of the Pandavas from Indian mythology, who hid their weapons on the Shami tree. Thackeray urged them to use their most powerful weapon (their vote) properly this time during the elections.
