Now, late on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mention of a 'bhatakti atma' (a wandering soul) causing trouble in Maharashtra for 45 years has got popular reactions from Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and members of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
PM Modi, in his inaugural Lok Sabha rally in Pune on Monday, referred to a 'bhatakti atma' in Maharashtra, which he said was responsible for disturbing the progress initiated by others, and for plunging the state into political turmoil for years.
No specific name was mentioned anywhere, but the name of the mysterious man was widely mentioned as seasoned politicians Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, both veterans of Maharashtra politics.
Amidst displeasure, Ajit Pawar made it clear that he would ask PM Modi the name of the mysterious 'bhatakti atma' the next time they meet.
Key commentators from the MVA were not very pleased either. State Congress President Nana Patole wondered if the 'bhatakti atma' could not be the very person of PM Modi himself, who, after all, had spent a good part of the last decade campaigning and posing for photos across the state and elsewhere.
"The Prime Minister is that 'bhatakti atma,' himself. For the last ten years, he has been restless. Show one former prime minister who, like PM Modi, has constantly been in campaign mode, dressing up, setting up photo ops, and visiting everywhere," Patole remarked, taking a jab at the PM.
"It is truly laughable when someone who has steered India's destiny for the last ten years labels someone else as a 'bhatakti atma,'" Crasto remarked.
With a contemptuous tone, Raut claimed that PM Modi, who has been travelling the state for the past few days, is the "bhatakti atma."
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