Angry Sanjay Raut tore into NCP leader Ajit Pawar and the BJP soon after they joined hands on Saturday to form a new government in Maharashtra -- very much against the run of play.
Sanjay Raut, a senior Shiv Sena leader, decried what he described as a "sin": the fact that Ajit Pawar switched allegiances even as his party worked with the Congress and the Sena to form a governing coalition that would exclude the BJP.
Raut said Ajit Pawar had betrayed his uncle, NCP chief Sharad Pawar. He even described Ajit's behaviour on Friday evening, which he appeared to think was suspicious: the NCP leader left suddenly; he "didn't look in our eyes" and was "trying not to face us".
"In this whole matter, we support Sharad Pawar," Sanjay Raut said.
Soon afterwards, BJP leader Chandrakant Patil shot back, saying it was the Shiv Sena that had backstabbed the BJP.
Remember, the BJP and the Shiv Sena were allies before they fell out bitterly after the October assembly election, unable to agree that the chief minister's job should be shared between them using a rotation policy.
Also Read: CM Devendra Fadnavis: Maharashtra needed stable govt, not khichdi govt
Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to assure him the NCP wasn't behind this morning's stunning developments. He told Thackeray that Ajit Pawar had split the NCP, and that the party would fight that.