Shinde, who was addressing reporters alongside Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, asked Thackeray to show "courage" to oppose these remarks.
Shinde said the Thackeray-led outfit had crossed all limits when they joined the Congress in opposing Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as Lok Sabha MP last week.
Gandhi was disqualified on March 24 after a court in Surat in Gujarat sentenced him to two years in jail in a defamation case. "What are you (Thackeray) going to do when you say you are not going to tolerate Savarkar's insult. You need to show that courage," Shinde told reporters.
Shinde said Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray had launched a "joda mara abhiyaan" (hitting with slippers) in 2004 against the then Union minister and Congressman Mani Shankar Aiyar for his remarks against Savarkar.
"Those talking about Hindutva, their MLAs saying we will not tolerate Savarkar's insult were quiet for (the sake of) politics and Maha Vikas Aghadi. This is their double standards," Shinde alleged.
At a rally on Sunday, Thackeray said he considered Savarkar as his "idol", and had asked Gandhi to refrain from "insulting" him. "By making defamatory statements against Savarkar, the sympathy gained by Rahul Gandhi will start ebbing. This will, for sure, put the Maharashtra Congress in a uncomfortable position," an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' had said on Monday.
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