Uddhav vows to regain Maharashtra's lost glory; slams PM Modi

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said Maharashtra's lost glory would be restored if the INDIA block of opposition parties came to power.

Speaking at a campaign rally here for his party's candidate from Nashik Lok Sabha seat, Rajabhau Waje, he also promised farmers guaranteed Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce, and scrapping of GST on farm inputs.

Maharashtra gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi more than 40 MPs in 2014 and 2019 elections, but got nothing in return, Thackeray alleged. "You promised two crore jobs. Where are those jobs? Some Gujaratis deny Marathi people entry. Shall we bear it? ASHA workers are not getting their honorarium for months. There are no health facilities, jobs, no money to farmers and no crop loans. I promise to regain the lost glory of Maharashtra after coming to power. I also promise farmers MSP for crops. I will cancel the GST on fertilizers, seeds when an INDIA government comes to power at the Centre," he said. He also lashed out at the Union government for banning onion exports earlier.

"Now, the ban has been lifted, but export duty has been imposed," Thackeray pointed out. He also criticised the prime minister for not visiting Manipur since ethnic strife began in the north-eastern state last year, and campaigning for JD (S) leader Prajwal Revanna who is caught up in a sex abuse scandal. Modi and Amit Shah were the masterminds of the "conspiracy to finish off Shiv Sena", Thackeray alleged.

His party supported the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, but did Kashmir return to normalcy or Kashmiri Pandits return to the Valley, the Sena (UBT) chief asked. "Our lawyer Aseem Sarode said they did not remove Article 370, but nullified a sub-section.... Adani bought land in Kashmir because of the presence of lithium deposits which is used in batteries and other electronic equipment. He will get land, lithium and the money earned from it will go to Gujarat again," Thackeray said.

While the prime minister said while filing his nomination in Varanasi that Mother Ganga had called him, bodies had flown down the same Ganga river during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Thackeray also sought to know whether Modi will continue as PM after completing 75 years. Was the so-called BJP rule that those above 75 should not hold any post was applicable only for leaders like L K Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi "and people you do not want", Uddhav asked.