Eknath Shinde addresses British Parliament in English, wins Statesmanship Award
Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde spoke in English at the UK Parliament and was honoured for his leadership and public service
A speech that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde gave at the British Parliament during his London visit has become a talking point around the world. Shinde, who usually speaks in Marathi and Hindi, spoke in English for about half an hour at the International Conclave 2026, held in the historic House of Commons and House of Lords buildings of the British Parliament. His manner impressed the British MPs, businessmen and foreign diplomats present.
Shinde began his speech with the chants of Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He then quoted senior poet Suresh Bhat's well-known lines, "Labhale amhas bhagya bolato Marathi," expressing pride in his mother tongue.
In his speech, Shinde laid special emphasis on women's empowerment in Maharashtra. He said, "I have a sister of my own, but because of the Chief Minister's Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, I today have the blessings of two and a half crore sisters of Maharashtra." He said the scheme was not just financial assistance but the foundation of women's dignity and economic freedom. According to him, when the woman of a household becomes financially strong, the entire family moves towards progress.
Shinde said Maharashtra is the first state in the country to make it mandatory to add the mother's name along with the father's name, in honour of mothers. He also referred to the Shasan Aaplya Dari scheme, which was widely praised there. The scheme aims to spare ordinary people the trouble of repeated visits to government offices.
Highlighting Maharashtra's economic strength, Shinde put forward a new concept: "Design in London, Manufacture in Maharashtra." He said Mumbai and London are both global financial centres, so there is ample scope for cooperation between the two. He appealed to British businessmen to bring their green capital and advanced technology to Maharashtra and invest in sectors such as fintech, green hydrogen, deep-tech and skill development.
Speaking about Maharashtra's infrastructure, he referred to the Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Mahamarg, the Mumbai Coastal Road, the Atal Setu and the Vadhavan Port. He said these mega projects would make Maharashtra a key gateway for global trade and would help fulfil the dream of making the state a one-trillion-dollar economy.
During the Maharashtra-India-UK Dialogue and International Conclave at the British Parliament, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was honoured with the Statesmanship Award for Transformative Leadership and the Commonwealth Public Leadership Recognition for his leadership and contribution to public service.
After receiving the award, Shinde said, "This honour is not mine personally but that of Maharashtra's 12 crore people, its farmers, workers and my Ladki Bahins." Political observers believe the London visit will further strengthen India-UK ties and give fresh momentum to investment in Maharashtra.
