Where is Balasaheb’s photo: MVA on newspaper ads on Maharashtra's development

Hours after an advertisement in newspapers hailed the combination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for giving shape to the the Maharashtra growth story, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) questioned why a photo of late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray was missing from the ad, and asserted that the countdown for the collapse of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance had begun.

Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide and party’s chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut lashed out at the Shinde govt for ignoring Balasaheb.

“These people (Shinde-led Shiv Sena) swear by Balasaheb….but it has photos of the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister…where is the photo of Balasaheb?…earlier it was Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena…now is it ‘Modi Sena’ or ‘Shiv Sena’?,” thundered Raut, a Rajya Sabha member.

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“Since your performance is so good…it is a moment of happiness and you forget Balasaheb,” he said, asking whether the survey took place inside the Chief Minister’s bungalow, Maharashtra or Gujarat.

The MVA also taunted Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who appeared to have been snubbed in the advertisement.

State Congress President and former Speaker Nana Patole said: “I feel bad for my friend Fadnavis ... .there is a famous Hindi song - dushman na kare dost ne woh kaam kiya hai….this perfectly suits the situation.”

NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal also wondered as to how the photo of Balasaheb was missing from the advertisement. “The advertisement clearly shows the rift between the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and BJP,” NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said.