Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday appealed to the people of Palghar district to not give their land for the Mumbai-Ahmadabad bullet train and the Mumbai-Baroda expressway.
“All the biggest wars in the world have been fought over land. Today, Marathi population in Konkan or Thane is selling their land for a few bucks. Your land will be sold tomorrow to make you homeless. If they try to take away forcefully, show the courage to destroy the rail tracks,” Mr. Thackeray said at a public meeting in Vasai to kick-start his Maharashtra tour.
He said, “I have chosen Maharashtra Day to address you for a reason. This bullet train project is an attempt to snatch land of the Marathi population and attach this area to Gujarat, something which they could not do in 1960, but are trying again.”
Referring to the controversy over the proposed Nanar oil refinery, Mr. Thackeray said even before the announcement of the project, the Gujarati population had bought land there. “How did they know about the upcoming project, even before the locals? Who tells them to buy land and sell them for a bigger profit?”
Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi over comments on Indian doctors in London, Mr. Thackeray asked whether the PM has any shame left as he makes fun of Indians abroad.
“How can Marathi population in Palghar tolerate Gujarati signboards? Will Gujaratis tolerate Marathi signboards there? Has Marathi population forgotten the power in their wrist? We should not tolerate this,” he said.
