Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that had Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray been alive, he would have hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the success of Operation Sindoor.

Addressing a public event in Maharashtra's Nanded, Shah slammed the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), saying it mocked the multi-party delegations visiting partner countries to convey India’s message of zero tolerance against terrorism as “baraat” (wedding party).

“Had Balasaheb Thackeray been alive, he would have hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the success of Operation Sindoor,” he said at a public event in Maharashtra’s Nanded.

The Centre has sent seven multi-party delegations to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan’s designs and India’s response to terror.

“I don’t know what has happened to the Uddhav Sena. They are calling the delegations a baraat even though their own members are a part of it,” said Shah, who is on a two-day tour of Maharashtra.

Later, Ambadas Danve of Sena (UBT) retorted that Bal Thackeray would not have allowed those who "betrayed" the Shiv Sena even to his doorstep.

“Bal Thackeray would have asked, 'Where are those six (terrorists) who killed Hindus by asking their religion?'. He also would have asked when the country was united, who put pressure to declare a ceasefire with Pakistan,” he wrote on X.

Danve also targeted Shah for mentioning the Marathwada Water Grid during his address.

“The file concerning the project was sent to the Centre for approval. Shah forgot to tell what happened with this file later. For the past ten years, the BJP has been speaking about getting water from the Konkan and Krishna basin to Marathwada. But not a single drop has come to the region,” added.

The Shiv Sena and the BJP were allies in the state for decades before parting ways in 2019. After the Sena split in 2022, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde got its name and symbol. While the Shiv Sena under Shinde is a part of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, the Uddhav faction is a partner in the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi.

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