Uddhav Calls Fadnavis 'Worthless Home Minister', BJP Leader Says Ex-CM Sacrificed Ideology For Power

Thackeray asserted that the common people and Shiv Sainiks are capable of driving the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition out of Thane.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray called Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis a "worthless" home minister after a Thackeray-led worker was allegedly attacked by Shiv Sena activists and asked for his resignation. Fadnavis retaliated by stating that Thackeray was a "weak" chief minister who should not be given importance because he had sacrificed his ideology for the sake of power.

Thackeray, his wife Rashmi, and son Aaditya Thackeray met the injured woman at a hospital in Thane city, the stronghold of his bete noire Eknath Shinde who brought down the MVA government last June to become the chief minister by holding hands with BJP.

Thackeray told reporters that the party worker was kicked in the stomach despite her pleading to have fertility treatment.

"Maharashtra has got a worthless home minister. A helpless and servile man is the home minister here. He was not ready to act when his own party men were attacked by the 'Mindhe' (a term Thackeray's party uses for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) group.

"Should one call him (Shinde) the chief minister or a goonda mantri? I am not saying that, but people will decide. They should have a minister in charge of the goonda department when they expand their cabinet," Thackeray said.

He said the state home minister should resign immediately and called the Thane police commissioner "useless" for allegedly failing to take action against those who had attacked UBT workers.

Thackeray asserted that the common people and Shiv Sainiks are capable of driving the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition out of Thane.

Fadnavis said in Nagpur that Thackeray was a "weak" chief minister who couldn't get two jailed ministers in his cabinet to leave, presumably referring to Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh, both NCP MLAs.

"I can reply to him (Thackeray) in the same language, but I won't use that kind of language. Uddhav Thackeray is frustrated. He was chief minister for two-and-a-half years but he never stepped out of his residence. He did all his work from home and never went among people, and people know about it," he said.

According to the senior BJP leader, Thackeray was "so weak" that he was afraid of losing his job and couldn't ask the two jailed ministers to resign.

Thackeray was elected chief minister in November 2019 following the formation of a Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June 2022 by the Shiv Sena (undivided).