Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray today shot down the suggestion of his party joining the grand alliance of Sena-BJP-RPI to take on the ruling Congress-NCP in Maharashtra and asserted his outfit will capture power in the State on its own strength.
We will come to power on our own, Raj said, addressing party workers at the seventh anniversary function of MNS at Shanmukhananda Hall in Matunga here.
This is the second time in a month that Raj has ruled out a tie-up with Shiv Sena, led by his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray, in the State, where Assembly poll is due next year along with Lok Sabha election.
Last month, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief said he had no intention of aligning with anybody. There is no thought now of any alliance. Do talks of alliance happen through newspapers?, Raj had said, in a veiled reference to Uddhav's merger offer made through an interview in Sena's mouthpiece Saamana in January.
Jalna, Mahrashtra: MNS chief Raj Thackeray dared NCP leader Ajit Pawar to intimidate his party without the help of the state apparatus, saying stones can come from our side too in an escalating war of words between the two leaders from Maharashtra.
Raj also asked Union Agriculture Minister and NCP leader Sharad Pawar if the matches of Indian Premier League(IPL) would be cancelled in Maharashtra this time around on account of the terrible drought the state is facing.
Addressing a rally here as a part of his organisation-building drive across the state, Raj said MNS was ready to take on NCP if the latter were to use the government power to intimidate.
Ajit Pawar (Deputy Chief Minister) says they will give befitting reply (to MNS). I am ready for it. Stones can come from our side too, said Raj, against the backdrop of recent clashes between NCP and MNS workers at various places.
He dared Ajit Pawar to confront MNS without the aid of Home Department and police.
Raj Thackeray's huge public rally in Kolhapur on Tuesday evening are notable for several reasons. One, he refused to have any truck with his cousin, Uddhav; two, he would go forward alone; three, his plank would be anti-migrant to bolster the pro-local sentiments; and four, his opposition to a memorial to Shivaji, the Maratha king, on an islet in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai.
The first three are his political, even filial choices. The last one could well be a mistake, opening himself to flak, forcing him, possibly, to engage in long-winded explanations. More on this as we go along.
Given the bad blood between the two cousins, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, there was no chance in hell that they would have come together, either by merging their parties or working out an alliance for next year's Maharashtra Assembly elections. The tensions, palpable even during Bal Thackeray's funeral, could not be wished away.
Mumbai: Raj Thackeray-led MNS has complained to police that a bogus account was allegedly created in the name of the party chief's son on social networking site Facebook and objectionable comments about B R Ambedkar were posted.
A written complaint was submitted by the party to Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy, who forwarded it to Cyber Cell for inquiry, police said on Saturday.
Raj Thackeray (C) breaks down during the funeral rites of his uncle, Indian Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party leader Bal Thackeray in Mumbai on November 18, 2012. Huge crowds gathered in Mumbai to witness the funeral procession of Bal Thackeray, chief of the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party and one of India's most divisive politicians. Thackeray, who called his followers 'Hindu warriors' and was widely accused of stoking ethnic and religious violence, died aged 86, triggering a virtual shutdown of the city.
Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray has backed the UPA government's decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail but wants outsiders not to be given jobs in these outlets in Maharashtra.
I will write to FDI retailers asking them to employ Marathi youth. People from outside shouldn't be employed there, Thackeray told reporters today, asserting Maharashtra will not tolerate migrants getting jobs in retail shops.
