The “objectionable” and “derogatory” remarks against Jayashree Thorat, daughter of senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat by a close aide of BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil on Friday has reignited the generational rivalry between the two families from the same district of Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar). On Friday, speaking at a rally in Dhandarphal in Thorat’s Sangamner constituency, BJP leader Vasant Deshmukh said, “She calls her father as father of all here. Everyone knows what she (Jayashree) is. If we decide to hit the streets, she cannot come out of home.” Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil’s son, former BJP MP Sujay Vikhe-Patil, was on the dais. The remarks drew aggressive reaction from Congress workers leading to attacks on vehicles in Sujay’s convoy. Jayashree along with her paternal aunt (Balsaheb Thorat’s sister) Durgatai Tambe arrived at the police station demanding a case against Deshmukh. All parties, including the BJP, have condemned the statement. Deshmukh is one of the most loyal supporters of the Vikhe-Patil family and the incident has reignited the rivalry between both families that dates back to the 70s. Then, Maharashtra Congress had two prominent groups, of which, one was led by the late Yashavantrao Chavan and the other by the late Shankarrao Chavan — both were chief ministers of the state. While Shankarrao had the backing of B J Khatal-Patil, former irrigation minister, and the late Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil, Radhakrishna’s father, the Yashavantrao group had the support of Vasantdada Patil, Bhausaheb Thorat (Balasaheb’s father) and later Sharad Pawar. The Vikhe-Patil-Thorat rivalry has its roots in the competition within the then Congress as each group portrayed itself closer to the party high command. As fathers took a backseat in politics, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Balasaheb Thorat remained with their respective groups. Coming from the same district, both chose to not interfere with each other’s constituencies of Shirdi and Sangamner, respectively, during the 15 years of Congress-NCP rule in Maharashtra. Both Radhakrishna and Balasaheb have set up co-operative and education empires but they continued to work within the Congress with respective departments. Radhakrishna, with a larger network of educational institutes and cooperatives, has set up a base of workers in each Assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar, while Balasaheb has chosen to not interfere elsewhere. Following the Congress-NCP loss in the 2014 Assembly polls, Radhakrishna became the Leader of the Opposition as he mustered the support of a majority of Congress MLAs to pressure the then party leadership. After failing to secure a Lok Sabha seat for his son Sujay in 2019, he left the party to join the BJP. Balasaheb was given the job as Maharashtra Congress chief in July 2019 and was later made legislative party leader as well, which elevated him to the state scene. With Ashok Chavan too joining the BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Balasaheb is now the seniormost Congress leader in the state. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Balasaheb used his machinery to ensure the victory of NCP (SP)’s Nilesh Lanke against Sujay, which intensified the rivalry. Balasaheb also played a key role in Shiv Sena (UBT)’s victory in the Shirdi Lok Sabha seat. He was elevated to the All India Congress Committee and is now among the top contenders for the CM’s post if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) wins a majority. With Balasaheb backing the Congress candidate against Radhakrishna in Shirdi, the Vikhe-Patils are holding rallies in Sangamner to corner him. In response to the controversy, Radhakrishna condemned the statement while calling it a political conspiracy. He also demanded action against those who attacked Sujay’s convoy. The rivalry is unlikely to settle after the attack on Jayashree. Her cousin and MLC Satyajeet Tambe recalled on social media platform X how Deshmukh, who made the remarks, was once taught a lesson by his maternal grandfather in public. “Now the time has come to show such people their place,” he said.
