Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday in a sharp attack on the state’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, referred to him as ‘khatmal‘ or bedbugs.
Addressing a gathering in Pune, in his veiled dig at Fadnavis, Thackeray said he doesn’t challenge a “khatmal” (bedbug) and that Fadnavis is not big enough to be challenged by him. Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister was quick to respond and said that Uddhav Thackeray had lost his “mental balance” and was “frustrated”.
“Now the battle is on the field, I said in Mumbai ‘either I stay or you stay’. Here is a poster. In the photo, a Kalingad is placed at my feet. Some thought I challenged him (Devendra Fadnavis). But, you don’t challenge the clods, you have to crush them with your finger. You are not big enough for me to challenge. Some thought I challenged him…Also, we should understand who I am and who he (Devendra Fadnavis) is. I am cultured Maharashtra and you are a group of robbers.”
After the sharp words of Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis said that he had lost his “mental balance” and that his latest remarks show that he is “truly a member of the Aurangzeb fan club”.
“See, Uddhav Thackeray is a frustrated and desperate person and due to this disappointment, there has been a bad impact on his brain. After today’s speech, he showed that he is truly a member of the Aurangzeb fan club,”Fadnavis said.
During an event in Pune last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked Thackeray and dubbed him “the head of the Aurangzeb fan club” who was “sitting with people who sought pardon for 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon”.
In his speech on Saturday, Thackeray also hit back at Shah for his “Aurangzeb Fan Club’ barb aimed at him. He dubbed the top BJP leader a political descendant of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Afghan attacker who defeated the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat.
