Rahul Gandhi ashamed of attending Uddav swearing-in? BJP slams

"Stop being a hypocrite Rahul Gandhi. You are making someone with identical views Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Udhav Thackeray, Editor-In-Chief of Saamana, wrote that Godse was a Patriot. Is that why you are ashamed to attend swearing-in," BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said in a tweet.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier attacked the BJP after its MP Pragya Thakur praised Nathuram Godse and stated that her remarks represented the "heart and soul" of the saffron party.

Further slamming the Congress leader, Rao said: "Is Rahul scared that hugging Uddhav Thackeray is equivalent to hanging himself? Sena is wanted for grabbing power but is an untouchable. This is how Sultanates treat slaves, not partners. This is the ultimate insult to the legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray, the pride of Maharashtra (sic)."

Dressed in saffron kurta, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as the 19th Maharashtra Chief Minister on Thursday, becoming the first from his popular family to assume the topmost position to lead a "secular government" in association with ideologically opposite Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress.

Along with Uddhav, six other ministers- two each from the three parties- were sworn in by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

The six ministers were Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and Subhash Desai, Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal from the NCP and Congress' eight-time MLA Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut.

As per the deal sealed by the Sena, NCP and Congress, which won 56, 54 and 44 seats respectively in the assembly polls held in October, the Deputy Chief Minister's post will go to the NCP while Congress will have to be satisfied with the Speaker's post.