‘Not big enough’ vs ‘frustrated person’: Uddhav Thackeray-Devendra Fadnavis verbal duel intensifies
The war of words between the two leaders and ex-chief ministers comes ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, likely to be held in October.
Escalating his verbal attack on Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday remarked that the Maharashtra deputy chief minister was not so important that he (Thackeray) would challenge the latter.
“Now the battle is in the field…I said in Mumbai either I stay or you (Fadnavis) stay,” Thackeray told party workers in Pune.
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The ex-Maharashtra CM then showed a poster to the Sena (UBT) workers.
“In the photo, a Kalingad (watermelon) is shown at my feet,” he said, saying that the watermelon represented the BJP leader.
“Some thought I challenged him. But, you don't challenge the clods (a stupid person)…you have to crush them with your finger. You are not big enough for me to challenge,” Thackeray added.
Further, the BJP's former ally called the saffron party a ‘group of robbers.’
“We should understand who I am and who he is. I am a cultured Maharashtrian and you (BJP) are the group of robbers,” the Sena (UBT) supremo stated.
Fadnavis was prompt to respond, saying that it was now clear that Uddhav Thackeray was a ‘frustrated person.’
“This frustration has affected his mind badly. After today's speech, he has shown that he is indeed a member of the Aurangzeb fan club,” Fadnavis asserted.
This war of words between the two leaders and former chief ministers comes ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, likely to be held in October. The BJP and Uddhav Thackeray are long-term partners-turned-bitter foes.
In June 2022, Maharashtra's Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government collapsed after a rebellion by Eknath Shinde, who also split the Shiv Sena. Now the chief minister of Maharashtra with the BJP's support, Shinde also leads one of the two factions of the Shiv Sena; the Election Commission recognises the Shinde faction as the ‘real’ Sena.
In November 2019, Thackeray had snapped ties with the BJP to form the MVA with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
(With ANI inputs)