Two days after skipping the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray paid a courtesy visit to him at the State Guest House Sahyadri on Sunday here. In the short meeting, Mr Thackeray said he raised various issues including increasing the minimum support price of sugarcane and development of tourism industry in the State. He also sought a detailed probe of the grisly murders of three members of a Dalit family in Ahmednagar.
He refused to answer questions on whether the MNS will support the new government. The party has won only one seat in this assembly election.
"I talked to him about four issues today. I raised the topic of increasing the minimum support price (MSP) of sugarcane, so that the sugarcane farmers get the MSP of Rs 3,000 per tonne. They should be given a first installment of Rs 2,500 per tonne," Mr Thackeray told reporters outside Sahyadri. The party had recently written to the Governor as well about the issue.
Mr Thackeray said he will soon hand over the blue-print made by MNS for the development of the State, to the newly formed government. "The main issue is the development of tourism industry in the State. There is tremendous scope for it. We had talked about it in our blue-print. At that time, I had said that I dedicate this blue-print to the people of Maharashtra, that is why I will hand it over to the new government within the next fortnight so that it can work on it," he said.
He said he was assured by the Chief Minister that the police were conducting a detailed and impartial probe in the triple murders of Dalits in Javkhede Khalsa village of Ahmednagar district. Mr Thackeray had visited the family of the murdered Dalits on Saturday. The murders of Dalits are the third in a series of crimes against the underprivileged communities in the district. There has been a demand to declare Ahmednagar a sensitive district.
Mr Thackeray also sought the appointment of Municipal Commissioner at Nashik, which is being governed by MNS corporators. He claimed that the position of Nashik Municipal Commissioner was kept vacant on purpose by the previous government to create obstacles in development work in the district. "I have been assured that a new Municipal Commissioner will be appointed within three-four days," he told reporters.
Mr Thackeray, along with other leaders of important parties in the State, were extended an invite for the swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in the State. But while other leaders had attended the ceremony, he had chosen to skip it. During the election campaigning, he had targeted Narendra Modi and the other leaders of BJP for "importing" candidates from the previous ruling parties of Congress and NCP to win the State legislature elections. He had claimed that the BJP doesn't have the capability to win the state elections on its own merit, and has thus resorted to importing the candidates who stood a chance of winning the polls.
But MNS itself had stood decimated in these polls. From 13 seats in the last elections, its kitty dwindled to only one seat this time, causing major embarassment to the party.
