Kicking off a spicy political debate, an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamna said the scheme being launched by the Sena was meant to offer a means of livelihood to economically weak Marathi youths and should not be seen as a political gimmick.

At his sarcastic best, Sena chief Bal Thackeray asked Patil to advise NCP president Sharad Pawar not to belittle and defame Shivaji's image by being ‘subservient’ to Congress high command.

Patil should tell his leader Pawar that his (Pawar) willingness to accept Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as the country's future Prime Ministers amounted to trampling upon the ideals of Shivaji who never bowed before the Moghul rulers in Delhi, Thackeray said.

Branding the scheme as a cooperative movement to offer self employment to Marathi youths, the editorial said vadapav was a poor man's meal in Maharashtra.

Referring to Pawar's reported support to promote wine consumption, the editorial asked whether the youths should open wine outlets to sell the products from wineries of NCP leaders.

Thackeray said Maharashtra was facing many serious problems including law and order, power shortage and unemployment and Patil, also deputy chief minister, would do well to concentrate on them rather than banning Shiv vadapav.

The Saamna editorial said the Sena was determined to launch ‘Shiv vadapav’, which it claimed had become ‘popular’ even before hitting the stalls.

"The Home Minister R R Patil's opposition to our scheme will only prove to be a blessing in disguise for Shiv vadapav," it added.