Uddhav Thackeray made the comment in 2018, a year before he took charge as Maharashtra Chief Minister.
A 2018 comment by Uddhav Thackeray against Yogi Adityanath has resurfaced on social media since the arrest of Union Minister Narayan Rane yesterday over his comments against the Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Mr Thackeray is heard in the video talking about hitting Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, with slippers. How is that any different from Narayan Rane's comment on slapping Mr Thackeray, BJP leaders question.
Mr Thackeray, Shiv Sena chief, made the comment in 2018, a year before he took charge as Maharashtra Chief Minister.
"How can he be a Chief Minister? He is a yogi so he should give up everything and sit in a cave - he sits in the chief minister's chair and calls himself a yogi. He has to understand the ties between UP and Maharashtra. A priest from UP, Gagabhatt, came for Shivaji's coronation. And this Yogi came like a balloon filled with air. He wore chappals (slippers) while garlanding Shivaji. I felt like hitting him with the same chappal. Who are you to even stand before a statue of Maharaj?" Mr Thackeray had said.
Many on social media called out the Chief Minister and his Shiv Sena for "hypocrisy" and urged Yogi Adityanath to file a case against Mr Thackeray over the three-year-old comment.
Mr Rane was arrested yesterday after the Shiv Sena filed multiple cases against him over his remarks on Mr Thackeray at a "Jan Ashirwad Yatra". He claimed the Maharashtra Chief Minister forgot the year of independence during his August 15 address and had to check with his aide mid-speech.
"It is shameful that the Chief Minister does not know the year of independence. He leaned back to ask about the count of years of independence during his speech. Had I been there, I would have given him a tight slap," Mr Rane had said, igniting a huge row and Shiv Sena protests.