Ahmedabad, Aug 3: Impressed by the development work done by the BJP government in Gujarat, MNS chief Raj Thackeray today commenced his nine-day tour to the state and said the intention of his visit was to take a leaf out of the Narendra Modi-led administration in tackling issues like corruption and power, back home.
“Sitting in Mumbai, I had heard a lot about the development taking place in Gujarat through people and other media,” Thackeray told mediapersons after visiting the Gandhi Ashram here.
“It felt good when the (Tata's) Nano car project was shifted from West Bengal to Gujarat. And when Ratan Tata himself praised the Modi government and development in the state, I felt I should also go there and see to myself what difference Modi administration had made,” he said. “I have great respect for Modi. The work his government has done, no other government has been able to do in the entire country,” Thackeray added.
When asked if there where any political motive behind his visit to Gujarat, Thackeray said, “Those who believe that this is a political visit have very narrow vision and I don't care what they think.”
Thackeray said that infrastructure and state development was his passion and to see what Gujarat has done in this sector he was here.
“Maharashtra is far ahead of Gujarat in industries and infrastructure. Development in Gujarat is a recent phenomenon,” he said.
“In Maharashtra, electricity, roads and corruption is a major problem. I want to see how Gujarat government has been able to address the issues of electricity and corruption. I also want to see how the system of politicians and state bureaucrats were working here, hand in hand,” Thackeray added. The MNS leader further said that he does not speak to divide the country. But his quotes are selectively presented which conveys a different meaning.
Thackeray said that he would be meeting Modi later in the day along with other members of his party and would be presenting him a gift from Maharashtra. “I would like to visit different parts of Gujarat before saying anything. My final one-to-one meeting with Modi would be on August 11,” he said.
When asked about what prompted him to visit Gandhi Ashram, Thackeray said the Ashram was symbol of peace so he began his tour of Gujarat from here.
Thackeray is likely to visit various places in Gujarat including the Reliance and Essar oil refinery, Dwarka in Jamnagar, Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat, Akshardham, Somnath and other places in his nine days ‘study tour'. PTI
