Amid arson and vandalism in Maharashtra's Nagpur - over demands Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's grave be moved out of the state - ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday questioned the need for a face-off on this issue, pointing out the controversial ruler had died over 300 years ago.
"If you want you can remove his grave.... but call C Naidu and Nitish Kumar..." he also quipped.
The reference to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (Chandrababu Naidu) and his Bihar counterpart - both key BJP allies - has been seen in the light of the Muslim population in each state, and the importance of their votes to the TDP and JDU, particularly with elections next year in the latter state.