Devendra Fadnavis, Thackeray Cousins Trade Hilarious Jibes At Book Launch

In a rare gathering, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray shared the stage at Dadar's Savarkar Smarak on Thursday. The occasion was the launch of "Maharashtrachya Hasyaresha," a book tracing the history of Marathi political cartoons by cartoonist Prashant Kulkarni. 

Coming amid intense political friction over key state issues, their joint appearance immediately sparked widespread speculation across the state.

The event started with Culture Minister Ashish Shelar praising Fadnavis for accepting Raj Thackeray's invitation, remarking that political leaders should set aside differences for art and culture. 

MNS chief Raj Thackeray was quick to respond. He said he would gladly invite Fadnavis repeatedly -- provided Shelar ensures he remains in the Chief Minister's chair until 2029. The witty retort left the audience in splits.

Taking the stage next, Fadnavis fired back with equal humor, noting that he accepts all invites, including those from Uddhav Thackeray.

"Until 2019, whenever Uddhavji called me, I went. After 2019, he did not call. I was waiting," he said.

After the Maharashtra assembly polls in 2019, the BJP and (undivided) Shiv Sena -- which were long-time allies -- parted ways and became archrivals over the sharing of the chief minister's post.

Fadnavis also said that Maharashtra has always maintained a tradition of political dialogue across party lines.

"I do not know why some people were surprised to see us sharing a stage. We are not surprised. This is part of Maharashtra's political tradition. Politicians from different parties can attend the same programme, laugh together and have tea together," he said.

Gesturing to the podium, he poked fun at the leaders moving to the left, adding that he consciously chose to stay on the right to deliver his address.

Concluding his speech with a sharp punchline aimed at Raj Thackeray, Fadnavis suggested that everyone should stick to their core talents. Since Raj is a gifted cartoonist, he should stick to it, leaving Fadnavis to handle politics in comfort. 

The witty back-and-forths made the book release function an unforgettable evening.