MUMBAI: The war of words escalated between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over an assault on a woman worker from the Uddhav faction of the Shiv Sena in Thane.
Shiv Sena workers from the faction led by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde allegedly attacked the women's wing leader of the Uddhav faction Roshani Shinde in Thane. Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aditya Thackeray met Shinde in hospital and assured all help to her.
Lambasting Fadnavis, Uddhav said that for the first time, Maharashtra has got a 'useless' home minister who has completely failed to maintain law and order.
“In broad daylight, our workers are attacked and no case has been registered. We went to the police commissioner to make an inquiry but he was not in office. The home minister has no control over the police department. We have never seen such a home minister in Maharashtra,” Uddhav alleged.
Uddhav also said that two days ago, the Supreme Court called the state government 'impotent', which has been vindicated by the assault case.
Sharply reacting to Uddhav's jibe, Fadnavis said that he can also use low language but this is not his culture. “Uddhav Thackeray has no moral authority to speak against me. When he was Chief Minister of Maharashtra, his two ministers including the home minister went to jail on corruption charges, but he did not dare to take their resignations. The people of Maharashtra will answer him,” Fadnavis said.
NCP state president Jayant Patil said that if Fadnavis has guts and really has power, then he should transfer one of the police officers who failed to maintain law and order in Thane. “Thane police and administration is working under pressure. The violence in the state is increasing day by day,” Patil said.
Uddhav said that earlier Thane was known as a cultured and peaceful place where Shiv Sainiks used to come forward to protect vulnerable people and women, but today in the same Thane, women are beaten in broad daylight by people from the faction led by Eknath Shinde.