Congress slams Milind Deora over Asha Bhosle funeral remark, accuses him of ‘ingratitude’

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora, accusing him of "shamelessness" and "ingratitude" after he apparently targeted the party for not sending representation at legendary singer Asha Bhosle’s funeral.

In a stinging post on X, the Congress said that even "foolishness and ignorance have their limits," alleging that its former Mumbai unit chief had attacked his political roots out of "desperate loyalty" to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The confrontation began after Deora, a former Union Minister in the UPA government, posted on X saying, "Attended #AshaBhosle's funeral in Mumbai today. An outpouring of love, song & gratitude, with people from all walks coming together to say farewell. Every political party ensured senior representation. One exception stood out, reflecting its disconnect from the nation's cultural pulse."

Hitting back at its former Mumbai unit chief, the Congress said, "It is said that even foolishness and ignorance have their limits, but Milind Deora seems determined to shatter every such boundary with remarkable consistency."

It pointed out that senior party leader Sushilkumar Shinde, a colleague of Deora's father, along with leaders Naseem Khan, Lok Sabha MP Praniti Shinde, and several others from the fold, personally paid their respects to Bhosle.

"That is culture. That is legacy. That is basic human decency. And then there is Milind Deora, loitering at the doorstep of the Shinde faction, virtually pleading for political rehabilitation, and once accommodated, rushing to repay that favour with desperate loyalty - peddling falsehoods and hurling mud at the very party that once defined his existence. If political opportunism had a face, this would be it," it said.

The Congress further claimed that the party built the political identity of the Deora family, gave it stature, credibility, and a seat at the table of power.

"And yet, the spectacle of you now barking at that very foundation is not just irony, it is a masterclass in ingratitude," it said.

The Opposition party said that Deora would do well to confront his own reflection.

"Even sycophancy is expected to have some dignity - but in his case, that line was crossed long ago. What we are witnessing now is not politics, but a relentless descent into shamelessness - performed with astonishing enthusiasm," the party wrote.