Amidst a gathering of the Gujarati community in Pune attended by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stirred the crowd with a dual-regional slogan. Delivered in Hindi, his conclusion—'Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra, and Jai Gujarat'—elicited fervent political reactions. The Congress and Uddhav faction launched a sharp critique of Shinde, while CM Devendra Fadnavis rose to his defense.
Congress leader Nana Patole condemned Shinde’s 'Jai Gujarat' shout, citing disrespect to Maharashtra's culture and Marathi language. Meanwhile, Uddhav faction's leader Sanjay Raut took to social media platform X to circulate a clip of Shinde's slogan, adding fuel to the political fracas with the phrase—Shah's Army, Shah's Army!
Maharashtra's CM, Devendra Fadnavis, firmly backed Shinde, emphasizing that the 'Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra, Jai Gujarat' declaration was contextually suitable in Pune with the Home Minister present and a Gujarati audience being addressed in their native language. Fadnavis underscored that Shinde's utterance did not indicate diminished affection for Maharashtra. He warned against narrow-minded attitudes unfit for the Marathi populace.
Fadnavis brought back memories of when Sharad Pawar, unveiling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Chikodi, Karnataka, voiced 'Jai Maharashtra, Jai Karnataka' from the stage. He questioned if this reflected greater love for Karnataka than Maharashtra, refuting the idea of unnecessary uproar. Fadnavis advocated speaking to resonate with local sentiments, whether to a Gujarati audience or otherwise, stressing Indian unity above regional divides. He concluded that doubting Shinde’s love for Maharashtra because of his statement reflects a myopic view.
