Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described 12 October as a deeply regrettable date for the nation, voicing opposition to the INDIA bloc's march directed at the Supreme Court in New Delhi.

In an interview with a news channel, Shinde charged that the opposition was showing disrespect toward the judiciary and the Constitution. He described the opposition's conduct as part of a broader coordinated effort to hold back the country's development and weaken its standing abroad, adding that the opposition's focus was on political manoeuvring rather than the welfare of citizens, and that 140 crore people were aware of what he characterised as an international conspiracy.

Addressing reporters, Shinde described the opposition's move to bring its protests before the Supreme Court — a group that includes Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc members — as having gone beyond acceptable bounds. He argued that constitutional institutions, including the Supreme Court and the Election Commission, were being subjected to undue scrutiny by the opposition, and characterised the preceding day as among the darkest in the country's history.

Demonstrations outside the Supreme Court building, along with efforts to apply pressure on its proceedings, drew accusations of undermining judicial independence and disregarding constitutional boundaries. Shinde stated he opposed the move without reservation.

On Monday, members of the opposition alliance gathered at the Supreme Court to place a memorandum before the Chief Justice, calling for the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from his post.

Shinde put forward an allegation that opposition parties routinely champion constitutional values before public audiences while, at the same time, working to hollow out the very institutions those values are designed to protect. He invoked Rahul Gandhi's position as Leader of Opposition, contending that someone occupying that role bears a particular responsibility to act within legal and constitutional boundaries, and questioned why the matter was pursued all the way to the Supreme Court. The move drew condemnation from legal observers, who described it as an affront to the courts.

Shinde called on Gandhi to offer an apology to the country's 140 crore citizens. He further contended that the demonstrations were driven by a desire to destabilise public order and damage how India is perceived on the world stage, stating that events unfolding in nearby countries served as a reference point for his assertion that coordinated efforts were under way to destabilise the domestic situation and harm the country's standing abroad.

Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the matter extends across national borders. Shinde stated that conditions in India differ from those found in Nepal, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka, and described the country as having undergone a fundamental shift.

The Deputy Chief Minister argued that opposition challenges to the Election Commission and electronic voting machines tended to surface in the wake of electoral defeats, with the intensity of those challenges rising whenever the party fell short at the polls. He noted that the Election Commission and electronic voting machines drew no recorded objection when the same party secured victories in Telangana, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka, yet the reliability of that identical electoral infrastructure became a point of contention only after losses in separate contests. Shinde remarked that the integrity of the voting process had faced repeated scrutiny from that side.

His remarks also addressed the Congress party's social media activity, including posts calling for the Chief Justice's resignation and statements directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, with Shinde raising the question of whether such conduct aligned with the norms expected in a democratic system. Drawing a contrast between the current political climate and the Emergency period, Shinde maintained that citizens now retain the freedom to take to the streets, challenge those in power, and voice their opinions openly.

Responding to the opposition's string of protests, Shinde contended that the party's conduct reflected the fallout of consecutive electoral losses rather than any genuine focus on public welfare. Maintaining that the NDA alliance stood firmly behind Prime Minister Modi, he put forward the view that opposition parties were acting as obstacles to the country's advancement, drawing a contrast between what he described as Modi's focus on national development and what he attributed as opposition parties' resentment toward that progress.

Shinde characterised the opposition's stance as one of either holding power or undermining the nation, further describing efforts to tarnish the country's standing as an act of treason. He attributed that conduct to the opposition's failure to win at the ballot box, while also acknowledging that protest remains a legitimate right within a democratic system. Shinde argued, however, that fomenting civil disorder within the nation falls outside any reasonable definition of patriotic conduct.

Shinde pushed back against talk of a fracture in the Mahayuti alliance, which had been sparked by his absence from Chief Minister Fadnavis's meeting with the central drought assessment team. He stated that alliance partners continued to consult one another and that decisions reached were the product of shared agreement, noting that separate schedules and distinct engagements among alliance leaders reflected nothing more than routine planning. He added that personal engagements or scheduled commitments, alongside Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar's own separate programme obligations, meant both parties might be occupied at different locations at any given time. He described the alliance's approach as one built on joint decision-making and mutual confidence.