Congress insulted Uddhav Thackeray, offered him ‘last bench’, claims BJP

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut (both circled) at the INDIA bloc meeting. PIC/X@ravibhadoria

The BJP and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Friday slammed the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi for offering the "last bench" to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray at the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi held a day before.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader on Thursday attended a meeting held by top INDIA bloc leaders at the residence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. A photo of the meeting went viral, where Thackeray is seen sitting in the last row. However, the UBT Sena camp has refuted the charges of "humiliating treatment".

Friend turned foes BJP and Shinde Sena, sensing an opportunity to embarrass Thackeray, took potshots at the development. On Friday, CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "When he [Uddhav] was here [as BJP's key alliance partner], it was always the first row that was offered to them." Mumbai BJP unit chief Ashish Shelar termed it as ‘Maharashtra's insult'.

Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske stated that not only Thackeray but his son Aaditya, an MLC, and Sanjay Raut, an MP, too were given the last row. However, Raut refuted the charges and claimed that rivals are making baseless allegations without understanding the reality.

The UBT camp MP further mentioned that the Thackeray family (Uddhav, wife Rashmi, and son Aaditya) were personally invited to Gandhi's new home and given a detailed walkthrough. Aaditya, speaking to the media on Friday in Worli (his assembly constituency), stated that the issue was never about their seating. "The real reason was what Rahul Gandhi has exposed," Aaditya claimed.