A week ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation elections, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray dared Pune residents to stop the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance from taking them for granted.
Addressing a heavily attended public meeting, Mr. Thackeray said that the aggression of “corrupt” politicians would diminish only if the people taught them a lesson.
“They [the Congress and the NCP] will sit up and take notice only when you teach them a lesson,” he said.
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Expressing dissatisfaction at the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court disallowing him to hold a rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park, Mr. Thackeray said: “I don't understand how there has been no decision in the court about Afzal guru or about Ajmal Kasab and the decisions about my rally is taken swiftly.”
Citing various examples from Gujarat, Mr .Thackeray said that there was no “will” in Maharahstra to bring about development.
“The Mula Mutha river in Pune is the dirtiest river in the State. On the other hand, there is the Sabarmati river front in Gujarat, which has been developed thanks to Chief Minister Narendra Modi,” he stated.
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Criticising the power crisis situation in the State, he pointed out that Gujarat was producing surplus electricity, and going by the promised made by Mr. Modi, would even be ready to sell power to other States within the next five years.
Using the Marathi manoos card yet again, Mr. Thackeray said that the education system in Pune was feeding on donations from “outsiders”.
“Institutes like Symbiosis are for international students. There is commercialisation of education. Nobody wants to do anything for the Marathi youth,” he stated.