The war of words between the two Shiv Senas escalated on Saturday as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab accused rival Ramdas Kadam of attempting to deflect attention from core issues related to the state by raising sensational allegations about Bal Thackeray’s death. Parab, addressing a press conference, dismissed Kadam’s assertion that party founder Bal Thackeray’s body was kept at Matoshree for two days before the announcement of his death in 2012, calling it a “figment of imagination” meant to malign Uddhav Thackeray and distract voters ahead of the BMC polls. Parab announced plans to sue Kadam for defamation, promising to donate the money to farmers affected by natural disasters. Earlier, on Thursday, at the Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally in Mumbai, Kadam had alleged that Bal Thackeray’s body was kept inside Matoshree for two days before his death was formally announced on November 17, 2012. Undeterred by the legal threat, Kadam said that he would write to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for a CBI investigation into the matter. Parab, however, countered Kadam’s claims and called for a narco test on him regarding his wife’s 1993 burning incident, an episode that Kadam maintains was accidental. Kadam indicated he too would file a defamation suit against Parab for the accusation. Parab questioned Kadam’s continued participation in the BJP-Shiv Sena administration and his son Yogesh Kadam’s elevation in the current government.
