Raj Thackeray addresses rally in support of Rane

Raj said he had decided to support prime minister Narendra Modi without any expectations owing to his government’s performance on key matters during the second term

Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray held his first rally in Kankavali on Saturday after declaring unconditional support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the ongoing elections. He said he had decided to support prime minister Narendra Modi without any expectations owing to his government’s performance on key matters during the second term.

Raj Thackeray addresses rally in support of Rane

Addressing the rally in support of the BJP’s Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg candidate Narayan Rane, he said, “When I announced support to the BJP, I did not even think that I would address a rally for any of the alliance partners. I could not, however, say no to my friend and former colleague Rane.”

While Rane is up against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s sitting MP Vinayak Raut, Thackeray appealed to voters to elect him to ensure deserving representation of the Konkan in the union cabinet.

Thackeray said the Modi government had taken several important decisions during its second term including the abrogation of Article 370 and the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya – two issues which were pending since decades. “None other than Modi could have resolved these issues,” he said.

Last month, amid speculation that the MNS would join the ruling Mahayuti alliance, Thackeray had announced unconditional support to the BJP and endorsed Modi’s attempts to secure a third term.

Speaking at the rally in Kankavali, Thackeray said he did not like Modi’s first term when decisions like demonetisation and construction of statues of national icons were taken. “I never opposed anybody in politics for personal gain like others do. I want to ask Uddhav Thackeray, had he been made the chief minister of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in 2019, would he have spoken against the Modi government? He has been alleging that industrial projects have been shifted to other states. I want to ask him, what did he do when he was the chief minister for two and a half years and a partner in the ruling alliance for another five years before that,” he said.

The MNS chief also endorsed plans of building a nuclear power plant and an oil refinery in the Konkan region. Terming Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s opposition to these projects as born out of vested interest, he said, “The land grabbing mafia is behind the opposition to these projects. First, they purchase land parcels at throwaway prices from villagers. Then, they oppose the projects leading to an escalation in prices, after which they give their consent. Crores are grabbed from the government in this way during the land acquisition process,” said Thackeray. He said opposition to the projects was leading to a huge loss for the Konkan and people of the region were compelled to migrate to cities in search of jobs.