With the Maharashtra Assembly polls round the corner, the rivalry between former friends, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has intensified with the raging war of words between them turning more bitter and personal now. On Saturday, the Sena (UBT) chief minced no words in at least two meetings in Pune and Mumbai to slam Fadnavis, likening him to an “insignificant dhekun (bed bug)” and stressing on the need “to get rid of it”. In another meeting, Uddhav called him “tarbuz (watermelon)” that “should be dumped in potholes”. Not one to hold back, Fadnavis hit back in Nagpur, saying it is best to ignore people who have “lost their mental balance”. “Uddhavji is frustrated. The kind of words and language he is using shows his mental status. His ramblings are increasingly establishing his credentials as the leader of the Aurangazeb fan club,” he charged. The latest round of verbal duel between the two rivals seems to have been triggered by NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader and ex-home minister Anil Deshmukh’s allegations that he was “coerced into implicating Uddhav and his son Aaditya in false cases by Fadnavis” in exchange of “easing” the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI probes against him. Uddhav seems to have latched on to it and during his address to party workers in Mumbai on July 31 dared the Deputy CM that “Either you (Fadnavis) or I will remain in politics”. Uddhav’s close aides claim that he does not fight shy of attacking his rivals if his family is involved. “He somehow believes that the BJP is out to finish him,” a Sena (UBT) insider said. While political rhetoric marked with intemperate language ahead of elections is not uncommon in Maharashtra, a slew of factors may have led to the two leaders – who were once seen as going out of their way to support each other – turn into bitter rivals. Fadnavis and Uddhav shared a close relationship between 2014 and 2019 during the tenure of the BJP-undivided Shiv Sena government. The Sena then reposed complete faith in the Fadnavis-led government and its decision-making and administration. Fadnavis, on the other hand, thought of Uddhav as a “soft-spoken, cooperative” ally. Even as the BJP finished just behind the Sena in the 2017 Mumbai civic polls with 82 seats, Fadnavis allowed Uddhav complete control of the civic body and gave the Sena all administrative positions including the Mayor’s post. The two leaders shared such a bond that despite the break-up of the Sena and the BJP after the 2019 Assembly polls, Uddhav stopped short of attacking Fadnavis and instead blamed the BJP’s central leadership for their split. The last straw for Uddhav seemed to have come in 2022, when senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde rebelled against him and led 39 party MLAs to split the party, which led to the Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government's collapse. According to sources, the Sena (UBT) chief believed that Fadnavis along with the BJP central leadership was a key player in “engineering” the split in his party. Since the Shinde-led revolt, the relations between Uddhav and Fadnavis have been on a downward spiral. Last year, Uddhav called Fadnavis “fadtus (useless)” home minister, prompting a sharp retort from the latter. “I am not fadtus. I am kartoos (ammunition). Do not dismiss me. I am a live ammunition,” Fadnavis said. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Uddhav targeted Fadnavis as the latter is the BJP’s “principal leader” in the state. “The Opposition is aware of Fadnavis’ ability to challenge his rivals,” he said. Meanwhile, several BJP strategists said they were not surprised by Uddhav’s salvos. “Uddhav's politics has always veered on rhetoric. Fadnavis has largely exercised restraint but sometimes a tit-for-tat response is necessary,” a BJP leader said.
