Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday said that anyone threatening his party workers during the election campaign will be “made to sleep on an ice slab.” His statement, made in Dapoli, Maharashtra on Thursday, sparked a verbal war with rival Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Ramdas Kadam.
Thackeray, addressing a rally ahead of November 20 assembly elections, warned his political opponents in strong terms. He said, “It is my responsibility to make anyone who threatens you (Sena UBT workers) sleep on an ice slab because we are forming the next government.” The comment, referencing the historical practice of forcing people to lie on an ice slab as a form of custodial torture, drew attention.
What Ramdas Kadam said
Ramdas Kadam, a senior leader of the rival faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, hit back at Thackeray. Kadam accused Thackeray of being a “traitor,” especially in relation to his treatment of his son, local MLA Yogesh Kadam.
He said that despite Yogesh Kadam being the MLA in Dapoli, he was sidelined during the municipal council elections. Kadam further alleged that Aaditya Thackeray expelled people close to the family when they were part of the same Shiv Sena party.
Sena versus Sena verbal spat
Ramdas Kadam, who was the environment minister in Devendra Fadnavis-led government, also claimed that it was Aaditya Thackeray, not his son, who betrayed the party by taking away his ministry in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. The Kadams switched allegiance to the faction led by Eknath Shinde after the Shiv Sena split in 2022.
The ongoing war of words between the two leaders intensified tensions within the Shiv Sena factions as the assembly elections approach. While Thackeray is rallying his supporters with the promise of forming the next government, Kadam is pointing to Aaditya’s failure to maintain party unity.
