THANE: MNS chief Raj Thackeray criticised the policies of Shiv Sena UBT, led by his cousin Uddhav Thackeray, questioning his election promise of installing temples and statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in every district. Raj was in Thane to campaign for his candidates on Friday night.
"The need of the hour is to strengthen the forts constructed by Shivaji Maharaj, which could serve as real memorials to the Maratha warrior, rather than simply installing statues. Our future generations need to be informed about the valour, military acumen, and foresight of Shivaji Maharaj through the maintenance of the forts he constructed... Today, we have become a laughing stock nationally because of the political turmoil in the state since 2019. Power-hungry leaders (Uddhav) compromised their principles and formed a government with parties holding contrasting ideologies," he said, mainly targeting his cousin.
Raj further criticised the state planners for failing to have the vision to design cities with a 500-year outlook. He cited how the island city remained afloat during the 26/7 floods while the suburbs were submerged, and how the CSMT station, built by the British a century ago, is still sufficient for the present-day population.
"The leaders seem casual and are busy dumping unwanted infrastructure projects on the exchequer because no one is questioning them. The voters should make leaders answerable for their actions," he said, urging voters to choose their leaders wisely.