A row erupted within the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Wednesday after Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar felicitated Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for his leadership at an event a day earlier, The Indian Express reported.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that he did not expect this from a leader like Sharad Pawar. His party colleague Sanjay Raut said that the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief had let the public down.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Sharad Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.

On the other hand, the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

On Tuesday, Sharad Pawar felicitated Shinde with the Mahadji Shinde Rashtriya Gaurav Award on the occasion of the 98th All India Marathi Literary Conference in New Delhi, India Today reported.

Sharad Pawar chairs the welcoming committee of the conference.

In his address during the event, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief praised Shinde’s inclusive approach to governance and development during his tenure as chief minister in the previous Mahayuti alliance regime, according to India Today.

A day later, Raut, who is also spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), claimed that Sharad Pawar felicitated a “traitor” who tried to destroy Maharashtra, The Indian Express reported.

“We never imagined he would go to this extent,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “How can Pawar saheb felicitate such a betrayer who brought the MVA [Maha Vikas Aghadi] government down and wreaked a party which had consistently fought for the self-respect and pride of Maharashtra and Marathi Manoos?”

Raut was referring to Shinde’s revolt in June 2022 when he split the Shiv Sena by taking away 41 MLAs and 13 MPs. This led to the fall of the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government, with Shinde becoming the chief minister with the BJP’s support.

A year later, in July, Ajit Pawar rebelled, leading to a split within the Nationalist Congress Party. Ajit Pawar took 41 MLAs and one of the party’s two MPs with him to join the BJP-Shinde alliance, after which he was made the deputy chief minister.

“Felicitating Shinde is like felicitating Home Minister Amit Shah,” Raut was quoted as saying. “Both joined hands to destroy the party set up by Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray. And such a man is being felicitated. I think the Maharashtra and the Marathi Manoos have been grossly insulted.”

The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader also claimed that Shinde had not contributed to the development of the state. “And he was honoured for so-called decisive leadership,” Raut said. “He is not a leader he is a betrayer, a destroyer.”

He added that Sharad Pawar should not have attended the function.

Earlier in the day, Raut told reporters that Maharashtra’s politics were moving in a “very strange” direction. “We need to understand who is deceiving whom,” he said.

He added: “How will we face the people of Maharashtra? It is true that in politics there are no permanent friends or enemies. But honouring those who have harmed Maharashtra and whom we consider enemies of the state is an insult to Maharashtra’s pride and self-respect.”

In response, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) said that its party chief felicitating Shinde was not “inappropriate in any way”, The Indian Express reported. “Pawar has set a unique example of statesmanship by felicitating Shinde,” party MP Amol Kolhe said.

In November, the Mahayuti alliance won the Assembly elections in the state after winning 230 seats. The Maha Vikas Aghadi won 46 seats. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister.