'Allabaksh': Sena mouthpiece Saamana mocks Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde for his decision to campaign for BJP in 4 states

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In a scathing editorial, Saamana, the Shiv Sena's mouthpiece, took a satirical swipe at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, likening him to the fictional character 'Allabaksh' from the late Ram Ganesh Gadkari's musical play, "Ekach Pyala." The editorial criticized Shinde's decision to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the ongoing Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh.

The play's characters, 'Ved Shastri Shastribuva' and 'Allabaksh,' engage in an ideological debate after consuming alcohol, eventually embracing opposing ideologies. Saamana compared this to the current political scenario in Maharashtra, accusing Shinde of playing the role of 'Allabaksh' and promoting the BJP's "hypocritical Hindutva."

"This drama being performed in the 'Arya Madira Mandal' of the play 'Ekach Pyala' is going on in the politics of Maharashtra today. Chief Minister Shinde is currently playing the role of Allabakhsh and he is propagating the hypocritical Hindutva of BJP," the Saamna editorial read.

"Shinde sometimes goes on pilgrimage and often stays at the feet of Delhi. Now to entertain himself, he is devoting himself to BJP's campaign. It is good that within a year they have realized that there is nothing special left in the campaign of fake and duplicate Shiv Sena. 'Allabakhsh' of Maharashtra has come out to campaign for BJP. Their 'final destination' is the same!" the Saamna stated.

Saamana targeted the BJP, asserting that money, power, and investigation machinery are the driving forces behind the party's victories. It mocked Shinde's transition from being an "illegal Chief Minister" to campaigning for BJP in other states, calling it a joke and questioning the need for Shinde to campaign in four states while being "afraid of holding municipal elections in Maharashtra."

"After December 31, the unauthorized politics of the illegal Chief Minister of the state, Shinde, is going to end. The interesting thing is that state Chief Minister Shinde will now campaign for BJP in the assembly elections of four states. It is also a joke that the duplicate army of Thane will campaign for the victory of the BJP in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. The political power of the Bharatiya Janata Party lies in the fun of money. Money, power and investigation machinery are what bring victory to the BJP. Thoughts, policies etc. are insignificant," the editorial stated.

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The editorial also expressed confusion over Shinde's understanding of the role played by Balasaheb Thackeray, who supported the Vajpayee-Advani government without actively campaigning for the BJP.

"It is also interesting that Shinde was never known for coherent thoughts. He could never understand the thoughts of Shiv Sena and the role of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, that is why he is going to work for BJP's campaign in five states. Balasaheb Thackeray or Uddhav Thackeray were definitely in the National Democratic Alliance. Vajpayee-Advani took power in Delhi. For this, the Shiv Sena chief also got strong support from Maharashtra, but he did not go to other states and work for the BJP. But today when all the stuff is fake, then the gang of fake Shiv Sena has set out to promote BJP in four states," the editorial said.

Saamana further stated that while Chief Minister Shinde is campaigning for BJP in poll-bound states, they are "afraid of holding municipal elections in Maharasthra." "... it makes sense for Shinde to campaign in four states. He and his team will campaign in four states, but the same people are afraid of holding elections in 14 municipal corporations including Mumbai and Thane," it read. (With inputs from ANI)