Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for ending its 25-year-old alliance with the Uddav Thackeray led-Shiv Sena in Maharashtra just few days ahead of the assembly polls.
"Do you think that the BJP can now be trusted after what they did to the Shiv Sena? Some BJP leader told me that they had planned the break-up long ago. Did Uddhav not understand this? If Balasaheb would have been alive today, he would have broken the alliance a month ago itself," Thackeray said, addressing his maiden election rally here.
Maharashtra assembly polls are scheduled to be held on October 15.
Thackeray said that Uddhav should immediately ask his party leader and Shiv Sena minister in the Modi government, Anant Geete, to resign as a mark of protest against the insult meted out to the party.
"Instead of talking about crucial issues like corruption and farmer suicides plaguing Maharashtra, they were busy fighting for seats," he said.
"Do you know why are they (Shiv Sena and BJP) not breaking their alliance in the cash rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation? It is because the BMC is a source of income for them," he alleged.
Thackeray said that one of the first issues he would address if voted to power is affordable homes for people who stay in hutments or on rent.
"People in Maharashtra are staying in rented homes, when they can surely buy homes. If the government has the will power, it can definitely provide cheap homes to people who stay in hutments or on rent. If we are voted to power, it is our promise that we will provide cheap and affordable homes to our people," he said. Making a strong pitch to uplift women in Maharashtra, Thackeray said that no interest would be charged on a home loan, if the house for which the loan is taken, is transferred in the name of a woman.
He alleged that during the last 15 years, the Congress-NCP government failed to provide good roads, water, and electricity to the people of Maharashtra.
"There are two exceptionally beautiful cities I have seen. One is Hiroshima and the other is Nagasaki. Both were bombed in the past. Despite that, these cities have amazing roads and living conditions. But what did the government give us? They have even failed to provide good roads, proper water drinking facilities and electricity to the people," he said.
Thackeray said that he is not interested in making money after coming to power in Maharashtra.
"I am only interested in giving Maharashtra the development that it has been long awaiting," he said.
He said that if the MNS came to power in the state, he would close down all private security agencies and keep a strict eye on people entering Maharashtra from other states.
"We can provide employment to thousands of youths. But what do these security agencies do? Employ people from other states. I will close down all these security agencies and start a government agency where thousands of our youth will be employed. I will keep a strict vigil on people entering Maharashtra from other states," he said.
