The heart of Mumbai turned into a political flashpoint on Monday as Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) unleashed a thunderous protest at Shivaji Park, Dadar, accusing the Mahayuti government of being riddled with corruption. Thousands of party supporters poured into the historic ground, chanting slogans and waving symbolic bundles of cash to dramatise their charges against what they called “tainted and corrupt” ministers.
On the party’s official X handle, Sena UBT declared: “The Mahayuti government’s tainted and corrupt ministers must be sacked! | Maharashtra Jan Aakrosh Andolan.”
The protest was part of a state-wide “Jan Aakrosh Andolan” announced by Thackeray, with simultaneous demonstrations outside district collector offices across Maharashtra. At the Mumbai epicentre, Thackeray was joined by senior party leaders, while activists staged parallel sit-ins outside government offices across the city.
In a fiery statement, Sena UBT alleged that:
- Former minister Sanjay Rathod was involved in a ₹60-crore scam.
- Dhananjay Munde oversaw irregularities in ₹1,500-crore procurement deals.
- Manikrao Kokate caused losses in oilseed procurement.
The party claimed that then Deputy Chief Minister, now Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis “ignored repeated complaints” about these scams.
“Instead of safeguarding public money, ministers are busy filling their own coffers,” the Sena UBT statement read, accusing the Mahayuti of running a “corrupt and anti-people” administration that is “looting” taxpayers’ money.
The protests also coincided with political tremors caused by NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar’s bombshell revelation that he had been approached by two individuals before the Assembly elections who offered to secure 160 seats for him. Pawar’s remarks came on the heels of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations in Delhi about voter list irregularities, which he vowed to prove with evidence. Pawar, calling Gandhi’s charges “serious,” demanded that the Election Commission — not the BJP — conduct a full investigation.
Shiv Sena UBT has vowed that the agitation will continue until the accused ministers resign and an impartial probe into the alleged scams is initiated. With fiery speeches, symbolic demonstrations, and a combative street presence, Thackeray’s faction made it clear: this was only the opening act in their anti-corruption offensive against the ruling coalition.
