A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hosted leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) at his residence, the BJP and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra took a dig at Uddhav Thackeray, saying the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader was seated in the last row at the meeting in New Delhi.
While the BJP said it reflected the importance given to Mr. Thackeray in the alliance, its Mahayuti ally, the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, held a satirical protest at the memorial of its party founder Balasaheb Thackeray, asking for “forgiveness” for his son.
“We feel sad. This is an insult to Maharashtra that Uddhav Thackeray was made to sit in the last row during the meeting,” Maharashtra Information Technology Minister Ashish Shelar said. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis too said it showed the respect the INDIA bloc gave Mr. Thackeray. “When he was with the National Democratic Alliance, he always got the front seat. We have now seen how much respect he gets there [INDIA]. It feels bad to see what happens to him when he is not in power,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
“When you set aside your self-respect, you don’t feel anything. Congress must have shown him his place. I don’t wish to speak about it,” Mr. Shinde said, echoing the Chief Minister’s comments.
