Ratnagiri: Former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday held a public rally in Rajapur tehsil of Ratnagiri in the Konkan area of the state. 

At the rally, Thackeray spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Shiv Sena supremo said that he does not consider the PM as his enemy, but that the PM considers him so.

"I do not see PM Modi as my enemy but he considers me like one. He engineered a split in my party (Shiv Sena) and stole my party. Late Balasaheb Thackeray had once helped him during his critical time but now Modi is helping a thief and made him chief minister of the state," claimed Uddhav Thackeray.

Uddhav Thackeray on MLA shootout incident

Thackeray also spoke about the recent incident where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ganpat Gaikwad fired shots at Mahesh Gaikwad, a member of the Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde faction, inside a police station in Ulhasnagar, Thane.

The MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, who has been arrested and charged, reportedly claimed that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde owes him crores of rupees.

Ganpat Gaikwad reportedly told a news channel, "Shinde sahib betrayed Uddhav. He will betray the BJP. He owes me crores of rupees. Shinde should resign if Maharashtra has to be well-managed."

“My son was manhandled at the police station and my land was forcibly taken from me. If Eknath Shinde continues as Maharashtra Chief Minister, all we will see is the rise of criminals. He has made a good person like me a criminal today," the MLA claimed.

Thackeray said that the BJP MLA's claims cannot be easily ignored. "If it is true, then why (has) no probe agency swung into action? I want people to think before they go to vote. If the Union government can send probe (agency) officials to the houses of (former Jharkhand CM) Hemant Soren and (Delhi CM) Arvind Kejriwal, why has no similar urge been shown and Shinde's house not raided?" the Sena chief asked.

"Even (UBT) Shiv Sena leaders are being targeted because none of them are extending support to him," Thackeray said.