Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis trade mental health jibes over Mumbai firing incident

File photo for representation. PTI

Amidst the fallout from the February 8 shooting in Mumbai suburban Dahisar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Saturday engaged in a heated exchange over each other's mental condition.

Following the tragic killing of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar during a Facebook Live session, where social activist Mauris Noronho also took his own life, Fadnavis dismissed calls for his resignation, drawing criticism from Thackeray, newswire PTI reported.

"This (Ghosalkar's killing) is a serious incident, but even if a dog were to come under a vehicle, they (opposition) will seek the home minister's resignation," Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio in the Eknath Shinde government, had said.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday, Thackeray slammed the remarks and wondered if the state had a "mentally ill" home minister.

"I had earlier called him (Fadnavis) a blot, useless. But, now I don't have words. Cruel. I feel he should be checked mentally. His comment (on the killing of Ghosalkar) sounded like our state has got a mentally-ill home minister," Thackeray said.

Hitting back, Fadnavis said, "Uddhav Thackeray has lost his mind. I can only say get well soon."

The deputy CM was speaking to reporters in Nashik.

Fadnavis has come under sharp attack from the opposition after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar was shot dead in Mumbai during a Facebook Live session on Thursday. Last week, a BJP MLA shot at a leader of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena from Kalyan.

"Whatever incidents have taken place, they occurred due to personal enmity. I don't disagree that they are serious in nature, but it is wrong to link crimes (that occurred) due to personal disputes to law and order," the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.

Earlier, BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad shot and injured a local leader of the Shinde-led Sena at a police station in Ulhasnagar near Mumbai on February 2 over a land dispute and political rivalry.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday too attacked the BJP over incidents in Maharashtra where Ghosalkar was shot dead and the car of a journalist assaulted, alleging that law and order have "collapsed" and "goonda raj" was being spread under the Eknath Shinde-led government. (With inputs from PTI)