By Quaid Najmi
Thane/Mumbai, April 4 Maharashtra witnessed a full-scale political war of words between the ruling Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance and the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), ignited by an attack on a woman Sena (UBT) activist allegedly by supporters of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in his hometown Thane.
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule virtually issued a threat with a final ultimatum to Thackeray: "Stop criticising the Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. Next time you do it, we will make it difficult for you to move around the state."
In his strongest attack Sena (UBT) President and ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray fired the first salvo by labelling the CM as 'impotent', Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis as 'fattus' (coward) and Thane reduced to a haven of goons.
He also demanded the resignation of Fadnavis for being inept at handling the home portfolio and suspension or transfer of the Thane Commissioner of Police Jai Jeet Singh for police failure to register the victim, Roshani D. Shinde-Pawar's complaint.
Thackeray's unexpected broadside came after he, wife Rashmi and son Aditya Thackeray, along with Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve and others called on Shinde-Pawar under treatment in the ICU of a private hospital.
Fuming at the attack, Bawankule called Thackeray a 'house-hen', a 'traitor' and 'gutless' CM, who had no right to speak anything ill about Fadnavis.
"What is his contribution? All he has is his father Balasaheb's surname. He fought the (2019) elections with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photos and then betrayed us," Bawankule thundered.
He dared Thackeray with a 'final warning' to refrain from targetting Fadnavis failing which they would "go to Matoshri' (the Thackeray home) and make it impossible for him to move around.
Earlier, Fadnavis fired verbal darts at Thackeray and dismissed his demand to quit, asserting "I will not quit at home minister", and said the whole state knows who is a 'fattus'.
He called Thackeray as "the weakest Chief Minister" who was so scared that even though two of his cabinet ministers (Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik) were in jail, he had 'no guts' to seek their resignation.
"Who is he (Thackeray) to demand my resignation? I have not got the post because of him. A person who fought the elections in Modi's name but discarded principles to become the CM, has no right to ask for my resignation," thundered Fadnavis, saying Thackeray was speaking out of frustration at losing power (in June 2022).
The BJP leader pointed out that he was handling the home department for five years when he was the CM (2014-2019), and now again as the Dy.CM, and knew his job very well, hence needed no advice from "a CM who worked from home" on how to function.
Fadnavis warned Thackeray to mind his language, and said: "I am from Nagpur... I can use even worse words, but if I open my mouth, it will create huge problems, but I won't do it. So you exercise restrain... I am not quitting and will continue as the home minister."
Another rival and BJP legislator Nitesh Rane challenged Thackeray with a veiled threat to "leave your security cover for 10 minutes and then show the courage to criticise Fadnavis", adding that Thackeray was incapable of even killing a mosquito, and should only speak as per his stature.
Thackeray also slammed Shinde wondering if he should be called as a 'Chief Minister' or a 'Goon Minister', for the blatant attack on a Sena (UBT) woman activist, and warned that if his men took to the streets, then the government would face serious problems.
Taking a swipe at Shinde, Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut asked "whether Fadnavis is the home minister of Thane" or not, and since "nobody has any authority there, declare it as 'independent' area."
Reacting, Shiv Sena women activists like Meenakshi Shinde and others went to meet Thane police top brass to demand action against Thackeray for his utterances against Shinde-Fadnavis.
Preceding them were the Thackeray father-son duo and Danve who went to meet the CoP, who was "not available" in his office.
On Wednesday, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Congress-Nationalist Congress Party-Shiv Sena (UBT) will take out a massive protest procession to the Thane Police Commissionerate.
It will be led by Aditya Thackeray, NCP's Jitendra Awhad, Congress's Vikrant Chavan, and Sena (UBT) MPs, Vinayak Raut and Rajan Vichare.
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