Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Pune's Shivajinagar, Siddharth Shirole, on Thursday slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for lashing out against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Speaking at a gathering of party workers on Wednesday, Thackeray threw down a challenge to the former ally saying, "Either you will be there, or I will."
"Anil Deshmukh recently spoke about how Fadnavis planned to put me and Aaditya (Uddhav's son) behind bars. After tolerating everything, I now stand with determination. Either you will be there, or I will," Thackeray said, indicating how acrimonious the relations between the two have become.
Reacting to Thackeray's comments, Shirole took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "Unfortunately, Uddhav Thackeray ji still hasn't grasped that crossing paths with @Dev_Fadnavis ji is a grave mistake. Uddhav ji, your bloated ego has already made you a traitor to the thoughts and ideology of Hinduhrudaysamrat Balasaheb. You've not only betrayed his legacy but also revealed your true, self-serving nature..."
Fadnavis also reacted to Thackeray's tirade saying he does not bother anyone on his own, but "if anyone messes with me, I do not spare him either."
Meanwhile, speaking at the event, Thackeray also dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come to Maharashtra once again to campaign in the coming Assembly elections after the BJP's poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls in the state.
PM Modi was "made to sweat" in Maharashtra during the recent Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray said, referring to the campaign of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), in which his party is a constituent along with the Congress and the NCP (SP).
Maharashtra Assembly polls are likely to take place in October this year.
