Raj Thackeray's Gandhi Jayanti cartoon of Narendra Modi decries PM's 'Experiments with Lies'

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has been widely recognised to have striking resemblances with his uncle Bal Thackeray. One of the traits the MNS supremo and Bal Thackeray have in common is their affinity for irreverent doodling.

In a cartoon released on Gandhi Jayanti, Thackeray took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, comparing him with the Mahatma. The cartoon titled ‘Two of the same soil’, showed the Mahatma holding his autobiography ‘My Experiments with Truth’ and alongside stood Modi holding a book titled ‘My Experiments with Lies.’

Thackeray has lashed out at the Modi government on several occasions recently. Shortly after the stampede at Elphinstone Road station, he questioned the ambitious bullet train project and said that it should not be pushed when existing rail infrastructure is inadequate. “While people are struggling to survive in the cities, Modi is asking them to do yoga and campaign for Swachh Bharat,” he said.

He, further, called Modi a ’liar’ who changed all his statements before and after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Thackeray had recently drawn a caricature of Modi being dragged into India by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Thackeray has alleged that Dawood Ibrahim, believed to be in Pakistan, is negotiating terms with the Modi government to return to India.

However, Raj Thackeray has not always shown hostility towards Narendra Modi. In 2011, the MNS chief had visited Gujarat when Modi was its chief minister to understand how it had addressed the issues of electricity supply and corruption. At the time, he had showered praises on Modi for his development work, as reported by DNA.