“If Shah is going to associate me with Aurangzeb Fan Club and Aurangzeb, then I will also not stop from calling him Ahmad Shah Abdali,” he said.

Quoting a letter written by then RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Thackeray said “he (Deoras) had no hatred towards Muslims or non-Hindus and that it holds secularism, the speciality of Hindus, in high esteem. Is this Hindutva of Sangh not acceptable to Amit Shah?” he asked.

Thackeray said the people of Maharashtra taught Shah a lesson during the Lok Sabha election. “After campaigning in Maharashtra and receiving thrashing from the voters, Shah returned to inquire with his leaders about the bruises they suffered,” he said.

Thackeray said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been demanding accountability from the Congress for its 70-year-old rule. “One year after its construction, Parliament is leaking. Modi should first explain this misrule of his government,” he said.

Thackeray also said, “I want to win the Assembly election for the sake of Pune. When I was the Chief Minister, I was keen on its development. I, however, couldn’t continue because a ‘subedar’ (Ajit Pawar) was already calling the shots. Give the reins of the state (to us), I will make roads which will last 200 years.”