Mumbai: Have guts, Sanjay Raut takes swipe at CM Eknath Shinde, Dy CM Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Have guts, Sanjay Raut takes swipe at CM Eknath Shinde, Dy CM Ajit Pawar. File Photo/PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday attacked Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar over the split in the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party and accused them of "stealing parties".

The Shiv Sena split in June 2022 after a rebellion by Eknath Shinde, while the Nationalist Congress Party got divided after Ajit Pawar joined the state government along with eight MLAs in July last year.

"Some are stealing their uncle's party and some are stealing somebody else's party. Have the guts to form your own party and take us on," he said in a swipe at Pawar, whose uncle Sharad Pawar founded the NCP, and Shinde, whose Sena was started by Uddhav Thackeray's father late Bal Thackeray.

Hitting back, CM Shinde said, "We are taking forward Balasaheb's party. Those who gave up his ideology for power should not speak about us."

Shinde routinely accuses Thackeray of abandoning Hindutva to join hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to become chief minister in 2019.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party working president Supriya Sule Sunday mocked the Bharatiya Janata Party and asked if it had no talent of its own, her statement coming in the backdrop of former Union minister Milind Deora quitting the Congress.

Deora joined the Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, which is allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Asked about the development, Sule said the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies were becoming the Congress, an apparent reference to leaders from the grand old party switching allegiance to the ruling side. "I wonder if there is no talent in the BJP. What about those BJP workers who have toiled tirelessly for the party," she asked.

Deora, who was recently appointed the joint treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, had expressed disapproval at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat.

The undivided Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant, now with the Thackeray faction, had defeated Deora in the 2014 and 2019 general elections.

Deora was also the head of the Mumbai Congress at one time. He is the son of party stalwart late Murli Deora. (With inputs from agencies)