Thane: Police detained some workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after they threw tomatoes and cow dung at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's convoy on Saturday. This is said to be in response to UBT supporters pelting betel nuts at the convoy of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Uddhav's estranged cousin, in Beed city.
Uddhav, however, did not mention the incident in his speech in which he accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of "bowing" before Delhi, and said the coming assembly elections are a fight against those who "hate" the state.
Speaking at a party workers' gathering in Thane city, Shinde's bastion, he also accused the state government of "bribing" voters with the announcement of its flagship scheme Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana months ahead of the elections, due in October.
"They are bowing before Delhi," Thackeray said, attacking Shinde who heads the rival Shiv Sena, adding that the Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's struggle was about refusing to bow before Delhi.
"The state assembly fight will be with the ones who hate Maharashtra," Thackeray added.
Responding to his accusations, Shinde said that Uddhav was making rounds of Delhi to begging to make him the state chief minister, according toa report in leading Marathi news site Lokmat. "Earlier, leaders from Delhi used to visit Matoshree (Thackerays' Mumbai house). Now, Matoshree itself is pitched in Delhi asking them to him (Uddhav) the state's chief minister," he said.
