"Weak": Devendra Fadnavis Hits Back At Uddhav Thackeray's "Worthless" Jibe

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today locked horns with former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for calling him a "worthless" Home Minister. Uddhav Thackeray is frustrated, he shot back while speaking to reporters in Nagpur, and called him a "weak" Chief Minister.

Mr Thackeray had earlier today slammed Mr Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, after a woman worker from the Thackeray-led faction was allegedly attacked by activists of the rival Shiv Sena camp led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and demanded his resignation.

"Maharashtra has got a worthless home minister. A helpless and servile man is the home minister here. He was not ready to act when his own party men were attacked by the 'Mindhe' (a term Thackeray's party uses for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) group," Mr Thackeray said after meeting the injured woman at a hospital in Thane city, the bastion of Mr Shinde.

Mr Fadnavis hit back, saying he could also use the kind of language Mr Thackeray did, but won't. He then took a jibe at his former alliance partner, saying he compromised with his ideology just to save his chair and retain power. 

Mr Fadnavis further called Mr Thackeray "weak", saying he couldn't ask two ministers in his cabinet who were jailed to resign, an apparent reference to Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik (both NCP MLAs).

"Uddhav Thackeray is frustrated. He was Chief Minister for 2.5 years and didn't get out of his house. Worked from home. Never went to the people. The people know about him. Such a weak Chief Minister that despite two of his ministers being jailed, he couldn't get them to resign. He wanted t save his CM chair. People of Maharashtra and the country have seen him as a Chief Minister who shielded a blackmailer like (Sachin) Vaze and took him into the police force," he said.

"I don't give any importance to people who compromise with their ideals for political power and position. I don't find it worth commenting on such a person," he added.

Uddhav Thackeray became chief minister in November 2019 after Shiv Sena (undivided) joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form a Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which collapsed in June 2022 after Eknath Shinde's open rebellion.