Uddhav Thackrey hit out at the Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his ‘Aurangzeb Fan Club’ remark, Thackeray retorted by calling Shah a political heir to Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Afghan king who defeated the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat. He further accused the former ally-turned-foe Bharatiya Janata Party of doing ‘power jihad’ by splitting political parties to form a government 

“Amit Shah is the political descendant of Ahmad Shah Abdali. Even he was a Shah. That was Ahmad Shah, and he is Amit Shah. Will he give us the teachings of Hindutva? You ate the birthday cake of Nawaz Sharif and we should learn Hindutva from you?” Thackeray said. 

Fadnavis Hits Back 

Thackeray’s comments drew sharp rebukes from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis accused Thackeray of confirming his alignment with the ‘Aurangzeb fan club,’ while Shinde criticized Thackeray’s language as a sign of his agitation and intellectual inadequacy. 

Thackrey was addressing the party workers at a rally in Pune when he claimed that Eknath Shinde-led faction gives out ‘revdis’ (freebies) and bribes the voters. He added that various schemes are then deployed to fuel this freebies distribution like Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which eligible women will get Rs 1,500 every month. 

Amit Shah’s ‘Aurangzeb Fan Club’ Remark 

In a recent statement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, labeling him as the ‘head of the Aurangzeb fan club.’ Shah’s remarks were made in the context of Thackeray’s alliance with Congress and NCP to establish the Maha Vikas Aghadi government following the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections.