Eknath Shinde
Thane: Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde recently said he wants to expand the Shiv Sena ’s presence in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of former UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey, who recently switched loyalties to his party. Dubey and his team would work towards expanding the party’s presence in Uttar Pradesh,” Shinde said. Shinde was speaking during the induction of Dubey and his associates in the Sena at an event in Thane where he hinted at the party’s intent to expand beyond Maharashtra , with Uttar Pradesh emerging as a prime focus for expansion. “Dubey is familiar with our party’s functioning where there is no owner, and everyone works as a party worker and also follows the principle of putting the nation first, which he described as a principle associated with the late Balasaheb Thackeray and Prime Minister Narendra Modi .
Shinde also launched a broadside against the Opposition, accusing it of undermining constitutional institutions and spreading a false narrative about India’s democratic framework.
Contrasting the criticism with India’s economic trajectory, Shinde credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for the country’s progress, claiming that India has moved from the grouping of the “Fragile Five” economies in 2013 to being among the world’s top three in recent times. “Indians would no longer be misled by such fake narratives and would reject all attempts to tarnish India’s image, both domestically and internationally,” he said. He alleged that Opposition leaders were drawing parallels with political turmoil in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal to portray India as unstable, and alleged that external forces were fuelling the protests. He asserted that the country’s development and public confidence would counter what he described as the Opposition’s attempts to spread misinformation and urged the Opposition leaders to focus on uniting the country rather than dividing it.