Mumbai, Apr 5 (IANS): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday dared Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to "keep aside ED-CBI" and face the Opposition, even as his colleague and MP Priyanka Chaturvedi met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to draw his attention to the attack on her party colleague in Thane.

In a tough rejoinder to Fadnavis, Raut said that because "they have the ED-CBI bodyguards behind them", they are talking so much against the Opposition parties.

Referring to Fadnavis' claim that he was not a 'fadtus' (useless) - as labelled by Sena (UBT) President and ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray - but a "kartoos" (cartridge), Raut took a swipe, saying it was more like a "wet kartoos".

Hitting back at Thackeray, Fadnavis had said on Tuesday that "I am not a 'fadtus' but a 'kartoos' and would not bend but enter," while the state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule warned the ex-CM "to gag-up" or face the consequences of criticising the Deputy CM (Fadnavis).

In a related development, Sena (UBT) MP Chaturvedi called on Shah in New Delhi and informed him of the attack on her party colleague in Thane, the hometown of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and how the police was not lodging an FIR in the matter.

Raut said that Thackeray's comment ('fadtus') was very mild and shot back - "The Supreme Court has called your government 'impotent' recently."

"Your becoming home minister is not a problem for us but a problem for the state... Women are being attacked, three women committed suicide in Mantralaya after you (Fadnavis) became home minister... What is the CM doing about it," demanded Raut.

Targetting Bawankule, Raut gave dark hints and asked why (Bawankule) was not given a poll ticket in 2019, who 'cut it' off and what he 'did' in the electricity department which the BJP chief handled in the previous regime.

The Sena (UBT) leader said that Fadnavis was "bowing" before Shinde now and termed him a "wet cartridge".