MUMBAI, March 25 -- Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray exchanged banter, and veiled barbs, during farewell speeches for nine members due to retire from the state legislative council in May. The friendly fire underlined their warm association, which ended when they parted ways during the state's political crisis in 2019. However, both leaders stressed in their speeches, there were no hard feelings. Among the retiring MLCs is Thackeray himself. The ongoing budget session, which concludes today, is the last time the legislature will convene before the nine members retire. Fadnavis began his speech by referring to Uddhav as the "son of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray", underscoring his leadership as inherited. He said Uddhav was not a politician by nature, but an artist at heart, whose sensitive disposition shaped his personality. As a result, his decisions were not driven by political calculations and were taken without fear of the consequences, he added. "Thackeray's nature is not political. If he takes a decision, he doesn't back down. He is like his father, the late Balasaheb Thackeray. Although he is aggressive on the political front, his real nature is different. His sensitive mind is reflected in the photographs he has taken. He has captured the culture and tradition of Maharashtra through his camera," said Fadnavis. The chief minister said Thackeray and he were friends since 2010 and they grew closer after 2014 (when the BJP formed the government in alliance with the Shiv Sena, until then headed by Thackeray). Expressing regret over their parting ways in 2019, Fadnavis quoted an Urdu couplet: "Jinko hath pakadkar chalana tha, Hairat hai woh baat pakadkar baith gaye (Someone who should have walked with me, hand in hand, parted ways due to a past story)." Thackeray returned the barb, with sharp rhetoric. "Aisi kaun si baath thi ki kisi aur ka haath pakadana pada. (What could have forced you to hold someone else's hand?)," he asked, a reference to the BJP forming the Mahayuti coalition. His speech took on a sharper edge when he taunted Sena chief and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde over his alleged association with self-styled godman Ashok Kharat. He said, 700 years ago, Saint Dnyandeo had got a male buffalo to chant the Vedas. "We hear of people sacrificing a male buffalo even today for political gains," remarked Thackeray, a reference to Shinde's rumoured sacrifice of a buffalo at Guwahati's Kamakhya temple when he deserted Thackeray in favour of the BJP in June 2022. Earlier, as leader of the upper house, Shinde, delivered his farewell speech. While reading the names of the retiring legislators, he described Thackeray as "Uddhav Thackeray Saheb" twice. He wished the Sena (UBT) chief good health, a long life and a long political career. When Shinde quoted a Marathi poem, saying he was eager to meet all the legislators in the house once again, Thackeray folded his hands in a mock "no thank you!" evoking laughter. Shinde also took a swipe at his alliance partner, the BJP, in light of the recent conflict between the two parties over the Satara local body election. Praising retiring NCP (SP) MLA, Shashikant Shinde, the deputy chief minister said, "Shinde kisise darate nahi, maidan chod ke bhagate nahi (We are Shindes and we don't leave the battleground)." Thackeray also expressed concern over single-party monopoly increasing in state politics and called it the "Indian Political League (a play on cricket's "IPL")", where no one knows who belongs to which party. "At least to play a match, one needs another team," he said....