The verbal duel between the Shiv Sena and the BJP deepened even further, with Sena Chief Udhav Thackeray firing fresh salvos at his alliance partner the BJP in Maharashtra.
Thackeray threatened to pull out of his party’s alliance with the BJP, launching a sharp attack on the partner at a rally ahead of civic polls in Kalyan-Dombivali, a Mumbai suburb.
Addressing a mass rally for the Kalyan-Dombivili elections here, Thackeray said, “I told PWD minister Eknath Shinde that he didn’t need to resign from the Maharashtra Government. If they (the BJP) have become so arrogant, I will very soon ask all Sena ministers to resign from the government.”
Shinde had on Friday publicly tendered his resignation from the Maharashtra Government at a rally in presence of Thackeray.
However, hitting back at Thackeray, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said “Don’t show us Lion’s (Shiv Sena’s symbol) Paw, we are known for taking out teeth from Lion’s mouth. Sher ka panjha humein mat dikhao, sher ke muh mein haath daal kr daath khichne ka humhara itihas hai.”
Thackeray alleged that BJP was using government machinery to harass Sena workers and to register electoral gains.
Exuding confidence that Shiv Sena will win the Kalyan Dombivali civic polls that are to be held on Sunday, the Shiv Sena Chief promised that his ward officers will work day and night to ensure that Kalyan Dombivali is converted into a smart city in real sense.
The war of words between the two leaders broke out just days after the BJP-Shiv Sena government completed one year in Maharashtra.
(With inputs from ANI)