BJP govts at Centre, Maha fooling people: Raj Thackeray

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday lashed out at the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, saying they were "fooling people".

Addressing members of MNS' civic unions, he said the governments were announcing schemes worth several "crores and crores of rupees" on a daily basis despite having no money to fill the existing vacancies in various government departments.

Citing media reports which said 24 lakh government posts were lying vacant at the Union and state levels, Thackeray said, "On one hand, there is a vacancy of 24 lakh posts, and on the other, projects and schemes worth crores and crores of rupees are being announced".

"If the government is running short of money and is, therefore, not filling these vacancies, how come it is launching such projects worth crores?" he questioned.

Thackeray said the 24 lakh vacancies reported by sections of the media included 10 lakh posts of teachers and 5.40 lakh posts in various police departments.

"Can anyone tell me what students must be doing in schools and colleges (where teachers' posts are vacant) and why crime won't rise (due to shortage of police personnel)?" he asked in a sarcastic comment.

The MNS leader also alleged that land was being given for development purposes to non-Maharashtrian builders, which he claimed was not a "good sign" for the state and its people.

Speaking about Bangladeshi migrants coming into the city, Thackeray alleged that the community was scattered in different parts of the city and was getting houses under state-run schemes fraudulently.

"Bangladeshis are scattered throughout the city. They are being invited to settle on plots in the city and then end up getting flats when the plot is redeveloped under the SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority) scheme. They, however, sell it and live on some other plot and get a flat under SRA there as well," the MNS leader claimed.

Thackeray alleged that the state government had charged 7,500 youths, who had taken part in various agitations, with an attempt to murder, and this had blocked their chances of getting government jobs in future.

Demonetisation has shut industries on a large scale and rendered over 3.5 crore people jobless, the MNS chief said, adding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, was doing 'Yoga' instead of addressing these issues