On Wednesday, Munde had pointed out, off the record and in a lighter vein, that he should not be held responsible for the series of shootouts in Mumbai during last fortnight since he was out on a foreign tour. ``Since I was out of the country, how can I be held responsible for the series of murders? In my absence, the charge of the Home department was with Joshi,'' Munde had joked.

However, the statement was reported is some sections of the press and this was enough to infuriateJoshi. Joshi conveyed his displeasure to Pramod Mahajan. ``I was deeply shocked and surprised on Munde's comments on the law and order situation. Mahajan has expressed regrets over Munde's remarks and therefore, the chapter stands closed,'' Joshi said.

The recent bout of verbal duel between the two leaders comes after a series ofvitriolic statements from both the sides.

Some days back, Joshi had said that Munde ``talked too much''. This was when the Munde was talking about the problems in implementing Sena chief Thackeray's grandiose plan of providing free power to farmers in the state. In his reply, Munde had all but asked the chief minister and other Sena leaders to shut up first before sermonising against discussing government's problems in public.

That, was when the two differed over a policy decision which was bound to pinch the state's fast-emptying purse and also put the state electricity board in a difficult situation. But now, it seems even jokes are greeted with frowns.