Raj Thackeray calls off MNS Deepotsav at Shivaji Park, says drought makes festivity wrong

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has announced that his party will not hold its yearly Deepotsav at Shivaji Park in Mumbai this Diwali, saying the drought gripping Maharashtra leaves no room for such a celebration. He made the announcement in a video message posted on X on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, a day before Diwali begins.

The festival season is already under way. Markets are decked up and shoppers are out, even as the state faces a severe dry spell. Mr Thackeray said he could not square a grand celebration with the suffering of fellow Maharashtrians. The decision, he said, had been taken by the party.

The Deepotsav is counted among the biggest events in Mumbai during Diwali. Each year Shivaji Park and the area around it are lit up with decorative lights and synchronised fireworks, and thousands of people visit. Mr Thackeray said the event draws great enthusiasm, with visitors coming from Mumbai, Thane and the far corners of the state. In his words: "This year we have decided not to hold the Deepotsav. The only reason is the terrible drought that has come upon Maharashtra and still continues." He added that, given the severity of the situation, his heart did not agree to celebrate a festival of this kind.

He described the state as going through a very strange time, with water scarcity now a pressing question in many villages. He said the drought is serious and is likely to worsen. He asked how brothers and sisters in the villages, and their small children, would feel on seeing a big Diwali celebration in the cities. "I think we should reflect on this ourselves," he said.

The MNS chief also turned on the ruling side. He recalled that the Chief Minister had himself said this drought would be more serious than the one of 1972. According to Mr Thackeray, the warning had come well in advance, yet leaders of the ruling party did not seem to understand it and carried on playing garba. "Anyway, that is their business," he said, adding that holding a Deepotsav in these conditions did not sit right with his conscience, which is why the programme was dropped.

Mr Thackeray also spoke of what lies ahead. He said countless families and communities from many parts of the state will be forced to leave their villages and head for the cities, where the conditions are already visible. In such an atmosphere, he said, large-scale celebration did not seem right to him, and he made a humble request to the public to see it the same way.

He was careful to say he was not asking for a gloomy festival. "We do not have to celebrate a black Diwali, but we will have to keep some check on the enthusiasm," he said. He asked people to hold themselves back and show restraint while bursting firecrackers and putting up lights. He also said: "We are all citizens of Maharashtra and we love our state deeply. When the state's citizens are in distress like this, celebrating on a large scale does not feel right, and it should not feel right to you either."

His suggestion was a simple, traditional Diwali. Households can hang kandils, share sweets and festive snacks, and do everything else the occasion needs, he said, but heavy lighting and firecrackers should be curbed. "Next year we will celebrate the Deepotsav again with full vigour," he said. He voiced hope that things will be fine by then and prayed to God for it. He ended by conveying Diwali greetings to everyone on his own behalf, on behalf of his party and on behalf of his family.

The backdrop is a farm crisis. Reports cite the state's drought declaration as covering 304 of its 358 talukas, while another account puts the share of drought-affected talukas at more than 85 per cent. Standing crops over an estimated 141.53 lakh hectares, including rain-fed and irrigated crops and fruit orchards, have been damaged. Rain has been scanty this year and the dry spell affects a wide area.

The government has begun relief work in the hit areas and is assessing crop losses and the financial help that will be needed. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already announced interim assistance of Rs 5,000 for eligible farmers before Diwali. Mr Thackeray noted that farmers are under heavy pressure and that many people from affected areas are moving to cities in search of a livelihood.