Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Maharashtra Anil Bonde on Wednesday hit out at Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and said a frog does not become an elephant even if it swells, prompting a Shiv Sena MLA to hit back, saying the former's ministers could find a place in the cabinet only because of his party's "50 tigers".
The slugfest comes a day after full-page advertisements were carried across major newspapers in the state on, citing a survey that showed CM Shinde ahead of his deputy Devendra Fadnavis in popularity. It did not have the pictures of either Fadnavis or Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray.
Since then the unease between the two ruling allies has risen.
On Wednesday, another advertisement on the state's ruling alliance appeared in Marathi dailies featuring leaders like Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Deputy CM Fadnavis.
"A frog doesn't become an elephant even if it swells itself. His (Shinde) advisers may be giving him wrong advice. Uddhav ji (Thackeray) used to think Mumbai is entire Maharashtra. Now, Eknath ji Shinde thinks Thane is entire Maharashtra," Bonde said.
His remarks evoked a sharp reaction from Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, who said it was due to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's help that the BJP grew in the state.
"The way Eknath Shinde is working and then comparing him to a frog or saying that he is only restricted to Thane…with whose help did you (the BJP) grow in Maharashtra? You grew with the help of Balasaheb Thackeray. What was your position in Maharashtra?"
"Shiv Sena and Eknath Shinde are tigers. It is because of these 50 tigers that BJP ministers have a place in the cabinet," Gaikwad added.
