Uddhav Thackeray's bags were checked on the Maharashtra polls campaign trail
A day after the political row over a routine check of Shiv Sena (BT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's luggage, the BJP today posted a video of airport security frisking Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' bags and took a swipe at Mr Thackeray.
Without naming Mr Thackeray, the ruling party said "some leaders have a habit of showing off" and added that Mr Fadnavis did not raise a storm over the luggage check.
The Maharashtra BJP said in a post on X that Mr Fadnavis' bags were checked at Yavatmal on November 7 and at Kolhapur on November 5, but he didn't make an issue out of it. In a dig at the Opposition bloc's 'save Constitution' slogan, the BJP said it is not enough to flaunt the Constitution and it must be followed in action.
A video circulated on social media yesterday showed an officer being grilled by Mr Thackeray during a bag check in Yavatmal. "I won't stop you... you are following your responsibility. I am following mine. Search... search whatever you want to search. But did you search bags of Devendra Fadnavis, Narendra Modi, or Amit Shah?" Mr Thackeray is heard saying.
When the officer said the BJP leaders had not campaigned in the region yet, Mr Thackeray asked him to ensure he checked their bags whenever they visit the region and send him a video.
Mr Thackeray's close aide and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said they don't have problem with searches if they are done "impartially". "But, where Eknath Shinde and (Deputy Chief Ministers) Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis are contesting, Rs 25 crores have already reached...," he alleged.
In a swift counterattack, Shinde Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde told NDTV that Mr Raut had a "habit of making wild allegations" and pointed out that Mr Shinde's bags were checked in Nashik when he was campaigning ahead of the general election. "Shindeji did not make a fuss... didn't create an uproar like the Uddhav Thackeray camp," Mr Hegde said.
Maharashtra votes on November 20. While the ruling coalition of BJP-Shiv Sena and NCP (Ajit Pawar) is pushing hard to bounce back from its Lok Sabha poll setback and retain power, the Opposition bloc of Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) has gone all-out to clinch a victory.