Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday, 18 March, called for opposition unity and a “Modi-mukt Bharat” by 2019.
Addressing party workers at a rally at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai, Thackeray said:
The country is fed up with the false promises made by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and his government. All opposition parties should come together to get rid of the BJP-led NDA government to ensure a Modi-mukt Bharat.
"India got its first independence in 1947, second in 1977 (after the post-Emergency election) and 2019 can bring a third independence if India becomes Modi-mukt," the MNS chief said.
If the Modi government was ousted and an inquiry was ordered into demonetisation, it might turn out that it’s the biggest scam in the country since 1947, he said.
Quoting an ISRO report, Thackeray asserted:
A large-scale desertification of Maharashtra is going on due to the depletion of groundwater. After Rajasthan, our state has reported the second highest rate of desertification in the country.
Saying this, he went on to question Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's claim of digging 56,000 wells in the state.
The MNS chief said he was in favour of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, but it should not be used as an election issue.
The Babri Masjid demolition case is in the Supreme Court and it will be deliberately discussed in the coming days to instigate communal riots. The Ram mandir should be built, but it should not be used as an election plank to divide society and win votes.
Taking a dig at Modi's foreign tours, Thackeray said the prime minister was apparently visiting those countries to get "flour for pakoda" as the visits had not fetched any investments.
The MNS chief also said films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Padman were a covert propaganda for government schemes.
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who starred in both the films, was trying to follow the footsteps of Manoj Kumar, an actor who was popularly known as "Bharat Kumar", he added.
“But Akshay Kumar is not even an Indian citizen. He holds a Canadian passport and Wikipedia describes him as an Indian-born Canadian actor,” Thackeray said.
Taking potshots at Fadnavis, who recently featured in a video song about river conservation, the MNS chief said, "There are so many problems in the state, but apparently the CM is busy singing songs."
Thackeray also questioned the government's decision to accord a state funeral to Bollywood actor Sridevi last month.
Nirav Modi was the talk of the town, then the issue of Sridevi came in. This was brought to change the issue. When a person like Sridevi dies, you wrap her in tricolour and you say you did that because she was a Padma Shri. It was all the fault of the Maharashtra government.
The government was trying to control the media, judiciary and agencies like the CBI, Thackeray said, alleging that the media was under tremendous pressure from the BJP-led government.
Case Lodged Against MNS Workers for Vandalising Gujarati Signboards at Shops
Case has been registered against members of MNS, on Monday 19 March, for vandalising Gujarati signboards at a shop in Mumbai on 18 March, after Raj Thackeray in his earlier speech said 'Vasai feels like Gujarat these days'. Four accused has been identified and arrested in the case.
The cadres of the Raj Thackeray-led party smashed and pulled down over 20 signboards on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in the district's Vasai area late last night, MNS Thane region president Avinash Jadhav said on Monday, 19 March.
"Vasai and Thane district are in Maharashtra and not Gujarat, and we will not tolerate name boards in Gujarati anymore," Jadhav told PTI. He asserted that their agitation against such signboards would continue.
The Vasai police control room confirmed the incident, but said no offence had been registered so far.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
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