A day after Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, undergoing treatment at a hospital, accused Eknath Shinde of trying to bring him down even when could barely move, Mr Shinde today wished him on his birthday.
In a tweet this morning, the current Chief Minister wished Mr Thackeray, who turns 62 today, a long and healthy life.
"Happy Birthday to Hon'ble Shri Uddhavji Thackeray, Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra. May he have a long and healthy life, pray at the feet of Mother Jagdamba....," he wrote in Marathi.
In an interview with his party mouthpiece Saamana, he had compared the rebels to "rotten leaves" of a tree that had to be shed to make way for new leaves.
"My government is gone, the Chief Minister's post is gone, I have no regrets. But my own people turned out to be traitors. They were trying to pull down my government when I was recovering from my surgery," Uddhav Thackeray said in the detailed interview.
Taking a swipe at Mr Shinde, the Shiv Sena chief said at a time he was recovering from a major neck surgery that left him temporarily unable to use his limbs, he heard reports that "some were praying for my health and others were praying that he stayed unwell."
Last month, Mr Shinde along with 39 other Shiv Sena MLAs and 10 independents revolted against the party leadership, leading to the collapse of the Mr Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Recently, 12 out of the 19 Shiv Sena Lok Sabha members also extended support to the Shinde camp.
Mr Shinde recently formed a national executive of his faction, claiming it to be the real Shiv Sena.
The Thackeray-led Sena and the Shinde group are locked in a legal battle over pleas seeking disqualification of 16 rebel legislators and also over the claim for the party's symbol with the Election Commission of India.
The Election Commission has told both the Sena factions to produce documentary evidence by August 8 to prove who represents the Maharashtra party.
