Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut defended Mukesh Ambani and other industrialists doing business in Maharashtra on Monday, after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder Raj Thackeray attacked industrialist Gautam Adani as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a joint Sena-MNS joint election rally on Sunday evening.
Responding to a question why the Thackerays singled out only Gautam Adani to attack and not other industrialists like Mukesh Ambani, Sanjay Raut said, “Ambani is not here to swallow up Mumbai. The Shiv Sena has always supported industrialists because if capital comes to Maharashtra, the more employment will increase, the economic condition of the state will improve, and the state will develop. But the BJP has created a ‘one window’ system for only a particular industrialist. We do not call it development, but we call it loot”.
“There is no problem in expanding business. But the way Adani expanded after Modi came to power has raised questions. Adani has bought up even small plots of land. Adani bought the plot where the biggest accident took place in Ghatkopar, where a hoarding collapsed and 40 people were killed. Adani’s buildings are being built there. There are limits to what you can swallow,” Raut told media persons here on Monday.
“There is a Tata group of companies. There are many industrialists like Azim Premji, Birla, Narayan Murthy, who have accelerated the economic development of the country. A huge amount of business, and trade take place in Maharashtra. There has never been any objection to any industrialist. But why do we oppose Adani? Because Adani has set his eyes on Mumbai and Maharashtra. That is why we have an objection. Is (Mukesh) Ambani swallowing Mumbai? Ambani lives here, does business all over the world. Reliance has provided employment to thousands of Marathi youth in Mumbai and Maharashtra,” Raut said.
Earlier addressing an election rally on Sunday evening, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS founder Raj Thackeray attacked industrialist Gautam Adani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
MNS founder Raj Thackeray hit out at Modi and the BJP for promoting Adani. To prove his point, Raj Thackeray played a video of a map of India, on which all the Adani group business projects all over the country were pinpointed, depicting the stunning growth of the Adani group from 2014 to 2024.
Pointing to the map of India in the video, Raj Thackeray said, “Look at the map of 2014 of the Adani Group when Modi became the prime minister and 2025. How come Adani Group got all ports, all airports, all big projects? You have no idea what is happening. They want to annex Mumbai to Gujarat”.
Pointing out Adani group projects in Palghar district which neighbouring Mumbai, the Wadhawan sea port and the Navi Mumbai International Airport project as well as the bullet train project, Raj Thackeray said, “This election could be the last for the Marathi manoos (native born Maharashtrian sons of the soil). You will be finished if you fail to unite and come together”.
“What is happening is the Adani-isation of India,” Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said, addressing the election rally.
Uddhav Thackeray also described former Prime Minister Morarji Desai as a “Nar Raakshas” (demon) and pointed out how Desai had resorted to police action against the 1950s Samyukta Maharashtra Movement agitators who fought for a united state of Maharashtra.
Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray also criticised IPS officer-turned-politician and Tamil Nadu BJP vice president K Annamalai who had said “Bombay is not a Maharashtra city but an international city”.
“I wonder whether Mumbai will be renamed as Bombay again. He (BJP leader Annamalai) spoke what is in BJP’s mind. The same way they gave the slogan of abki baar char sau paar (400 plus seats in Lok Sabha elections), they want to change the constitution which is written by a Marathi manoos (Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar),” Uddhav Thackeray said.
“Some ‘rasmalai’ (Annamalai) came and said that Mumbai is not a Maharashtra city. What connection does he have with Mumbai,” Raj Thackeray said, adding the late Balasaheb Thackeray’s 1960s anti-South Indian slogan of “Hatao lungi, bajao pungi”.