Sena MP slams Uddhav for dragging his son's name in Dussehra rally speech

Lok Sabha member Shrikant Shinde on Thursday objected to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray "dragging" the name of his one-and-a-half year old son during his Dussehra rally speech a day ago, and asked whether targeting a child suited his Hindutva.

Shrikant Shinde is the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The rebel Sena MP represents the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat in Thane district.

In an open letter, Shinde said late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray seared his political opponents, but never resorted to such "lowly" remarks.

"Do you understand the views shared by you on Hindutva? I just want to ask you one thing whether such dragging a one-and-half-year old son suits your Hindutva? Shinde asked.

On Wednesday, both the factions of the Shiv Sena - one led by Thackeray and other by CM Shinde - held their rallies that saw attacks and counter attacks against each other.

During his speech, Thackeray attacked CM Shinde as he referred to his son (Shrikant) as a brat and said his grandson Rudransh has an eye on the corporator's post. Thackeray slammed the chief minister for "betraying" him despite enjoying various positions as he was made a minister and his son an MP.

Berating Thackeray, Shrikant Shinde in a long Facebook post asked how a former chief minister could use such a language against a child.

Meanwhile, taking a dig at Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said while Uddhav Thackeray spoke extempore, Shinde was "reading" his speech for one hour and 28 minutes.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar also took a dig at Shinde. "Some speeches were stretched beyond any reason," Pawar said without naming the chief minister.