Viruses that change colour and appearance often are growing in Maharashtra, minister and state NCP chief Jayant Patil said on Tuesday as he hit back at MNS president Raj Thackeray who held a rally earlier in the evening in Thane near Mumbai.
Incidentally, in his Thane rally, Mr Thackeray had indulged in word play on Mr Patil's name and had called him 'jant', Marathi for germs.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Patil said Mr Thackeray supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but opposed the BJP leader in the 2019 general election, and was now back to supporting the PM.
"Enjoys legacy of Prabodhankar Thackeray, but follows ideology of Nathuram Godse; is nephew of Balasaheb Thackeray, but has ties with people who finished ideology of Balasaheb. The viruses which often change colour and appearances are growing in Maharashtra," Mr Patil tweeted in Marathi.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase hit out at Mr Thackeray for accusing the party of encouraging casteism in the state.
"Doesn't Thackeray know about works carried out by (NCP chief Sharad) Pawar saheb like implementation of Mandal Commission, renaming Marathwada University as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar University and ensuring separate budget for backward class and adivasis (tribals) in the state," Mr Tapase asked.
"This Was Not A Prince's Battle": Raj Thackeray's Son After Mahim Defeat Aaditya Thackeray, Jayant Patil Among Key Leaders To File Nominations "Everyone Wants Jayant Patil To...": Sharad Pawar's Big Hint 4-Year-Old Boy Run Over By Speeding Creta In Mumbai, Teen Driver Arrested BJP Leader Who Lost To Priyanka Gandhi Challenges Election, Congress Reacts Germany Refused To Extradite Saudi Suspect? Suicidal Empathy, Says Elon Musk Helicopter Crashes Into Turkish Hospital During Take-Off, Four Killed PM Modi Gets Kuwait's Highest Honour 'The Order Of Mubarak Al Kabeer' Video Emerges Of Mohali Building Collapse, Many Feared Trapped For Hours Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.