Speaking at a rally in Rajapur, Maharashtra, as part of the 'Shiv Sankalp' mass outreach programme ahead of the upcoming general elections, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray would have praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts to build the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, stated a report in PTI. 

The Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, 2019, repealed Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that granted Jammu and Kashmir its special status. They then split the state into two union territories.