In a counter-attack, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday alleged that Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut deliberately referred to the old controversy over "19 bungalows" in Korlai village because he bore a "grudge" against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his family members for not backing him when certain allegations were raised against him.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Somaiya, a former MP from Mumbai, claimed that it was a known fact that Rashmi Thackeray, wife of Uddhav Thackeray who heads Shiv Sena, had tendered a written "apology" to the Korlai gram panchayat in the Raigad district in connection with the "19 bungalows" controversy.