From 'A Sam Shi' to 'use and throw', Uddhav and Shinde factions get creative in bitter war of words

Mumbai: The acrimonious fight between the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has moved on to a phase of creativity in wordplay with abbreviations being used to lampoon each other.

Over the past few days, Uddhav Thackeray and his son and former minister Aaditya Thackeray have begun calling Shinde "A Sam Shi", which is the abbreviation of the deputy CM's full name Eknath Sambhaji Shinde.

Since the split in the Bal Thackeray-founded party in June 2022, the Thackeray faction has often used the terms "gaddar" (traitor) and "khoke" (alleging that crores changed hands to split the party) to mount stinging attacks on Shinde.

Shinde has hit back asking if UT, the abbreviation for Uddhav Thackeray, stood for "use and throw".

A party functionary said Uddhav Thackeray's fresh jibe at Shinde was aimed at the latter using Sena founder Bal Thackeray as the party mascot.

"He (Shinde) should use his father's name and form his own party rather than stake claim over Bal Thackeray's legacy and party," the functionary said.

Post the split, Shinde's faction got the Shiv Sena name and 'bow and arrow' symbol, while the one led by Thackeray was christened Shiv Sena (UBT) with its symbol being "mashaal" or flaming torch.

Another party leader said the Thackeray family has its own way to target its bitter opponents, be it former chief minister Narayan Rane or NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal.

Both were firebrand leaders who enjoyed immense confidence of Bal Thackeray.

But after they quit the party, Bal Thackeray gave them sarcastic monikers that have stuck for long time.

"It is the Thackeray family's way of telling their opponents that they are not worthy of being addressed respectfully by their full and proper names," the leader said.

Shinde has also often used the term "work from home" to lampoon Thackeray.

As chief minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022, Thackeray came under fire from the opposition as well as his allies for running the government from his Matoshri residence rather than Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai.