MNS will come to power soon, says Raj Thackeray

On the seventh foundation day of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Saturday, party supremo Raj Thackeray made it clear that he's not interested in an alliance with any political party. And if it came to the formation of a government in the state, he would prefer to do so on his own. Thackeray was speaking at Shanmukhananda Hall, Sion East, where the party was celebrating its seventh anniversary.

Raj Thackeray addressing his party men at the seventh anniversary celebrations of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena at Shanmukhananda Hall on Saturday. PIC/ Pradeep Dhivar

Obviously hinting at his estranged cousin Uddhav, who had just last month extended an olive branch for reconciliation, the younger Thackeray cousin said, "People who are making offers to us should introspect about what is happening inside their own parties and should stop inviting us."

He claimed that not many political experts would believe this now, but the MNS would form the government in Maharashtra soon. "I am confident that the MNS will form a government without any one else's support. We will soon come to power and even if political pundits aren't ready to believe it now, they will soon have to change their opinion," he said.

Meanwhile, Raj also discussed his meeting with Ratan Tata on Friday when the former Tata Group chairman made an impromptu visit to the MNS leader's Krishnakunj residence. During his stay Tata discussed various issues including the new airline venture.

Obviously in a jubilant mood, Raj also claimed that he had silenced critics who had claimed his party was only relevant in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik. "MNS is spread across the state and it is spreading its wings every day," he said.

As usual, Raj did not forget to bring in his favourite issue, the victimisation of the Marathi Manoos. "If the electoral list is scanned properly, there will be 85 per cent Maharashtrians whose names have been deleted by the government." He said he had provided all his MLAs a list containing the names of missing voters and asked them to check the validity of the new electoral list.

Uddhav at Raj's programme
A Marathi play ‘Gela Madhav Kunikade' was acted out by MNS cadres just before Raj Thackeray's rally. The play had a character named Uddhav Komde in it. Whether it was a coincidence or done on purpose is not known. But the name did remind many in the audience of Raj's estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray.