Raj attacks Uddhav, Sharad Pawar

In his first public appearance after the civic polls were announced, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday attacked both his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray, and union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

In his first public appearance after the civic polls were announced, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday attacked both his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray, and union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

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Interacting with the all-woman audience organised by the Vanita Samaj Trust at Dadar, Raj remarked that Pawar was a great leader but with narrow vision. “He has diverted all the factories to Baramati, his constituency, and neglected the rest of Maharashtra,” Raj said. “Pawar should have treated the whole state as his constituency,” said Pawar. He also advised Pawar to guide his daughter and nephew instead of lecturing Raj. “Pawar relishes in creating confusion and is an expert in this art,” he added.

The February civic polls are very important for Raj, and by attacking Pawar, he is trying to show that he is as hard on the NCP–Congress alliance as he is on the Sena.

He also took potshots at Uddhav Thackeray for his demand to declare the disputed boundary town of Belguam as an Union territory. “Does he even know the procedure required for doing so? These statements are only a means to fool those at the borders,” said Raj.

Raj expressed support for the Jaitapur power project, which is being opposed by the Sena.