"Please tell me, is Shiv Sena a small party?" Uddhav Thackeray said after Sharad Pawar's comment.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said his outfit was not a "small party", and hit out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over their reactions to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's 'merger' remark.
Earlier, in an interview to The Indian Express, Sharad Pawar predicted that in the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress, or even merge with it.
While chief minister Shinde latched on to Sharad Pawar's comment to target Uddhav Thackeray saying he had already become "Congress-minded", Mr Fadnavis said it showed how difficult it was for Sharad Pawar himself to manage his party.
Speaking at an election rally in Pune district, Uddhav Thackeray said Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis were speaking as if they were high on 'bhaang' (cannabis).
"Pawar saheb said while replying to a question that some small regional parties may merge with Congress. Please tell me, is Shiv Sena a small party?" he asked.
Uddhav Thackeray also took swipes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that unlike in 2014 and 2019, he has no issues left during the ongoing elections.
"I had heard in my childhood that if someone is scared of ghosts, he should chant 'Ram, Ram'. Since he is scared of defeat, he is going around the country chanting the name of Ram," alleged Mr Thackeray.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)