7 things Raj Thackeray said against PM, BJP in Mumbai

The firebrand leader was addressing a rally on the occasion of the Maharashtrian New Year of Gudi Padwa.

After a gap of two years, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray addressed the Gudi Padwa rally and launched a vitriolic attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The firebrand leader slammed the BJP-led government in the state and at the Centre over various issues. Thackeray, during his 80-minute speech at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai on Sunday, resorted to some scathing attack and made startling claims. Here are seven key points of the speech in which the firebrand leader took pot shots at the government of the day.

Thackeray has called for a Modi Mukt Bharat (HT PHOTO)

1. “We supported the BJP when they coined the term ‘Congress Mukt Bharat,’ but the way you (the Prime Minister) are behaving, we want a Modi Mukt Bharat. I appeal to all political parties to come together for 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.”

2. “In the coming months, there will be riots in India. Riots would be planned around the Ram Mandir issue. Some Muslim organisations have already been told to start riots after the Ram Mandir issue is resolved.”

3. “Should the Ram temple be built? Yes, it should be built. But if Ram temple is going to be an election agenda, then let’s wait for a year. I appeal to Muslims and Hindus, beware of the election plans of the BJP.”

4. “Some time ago (Amit) Shah said that selling pakodas (fritters) is also a profession. Then did Modi visit all these countries to get flour for these pakodas? He has not managed to get even a rupee worth of investment.”

5. “Like Maharashtra, the people of Gujarat also do not want a bullet train. Maharashtra, which already has a debt of over Rs4 lakh crore, would have to take loan for the bullet train, just because of the PM’s stubbornness.”

6. “According to my information, Dawood wants to come to India and spend his last days in the country. The government is negotiating with him. Is this how a government is run?”

7. “If what’s happening in the state is not stopped, you will not have much left for you. The current government in the state does not have Maharashtra or Marathi manoos on its agenda. The CM has been put on the chair; he is not there on merit.”