Raj Thackeray is expected to campaign for Congress-NCP candidates without sharing the stage
A tacit understanding seems to be in place between the Congress-NCP alliance and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena or the MNS. Speaking to his supporters at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, Raj Thackeray said, "I will address eight to ten rallies in Maharashtra even though we are not contesting these elections. There have been murmurs that I am with the Congress and NCP. I am not joining them. There are two men who are a threat for this nation. They are Amit Shah and Narendra Modi. I am going to fight them. If the Congress-NCP benefit, so be it."
Raj Thackeray hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah during his Gudi Padwa rally on Saturday at the same venue where his cousin Uddhav Thackeray's party, the Shiv Sena holds its annual Dusshera rally.
Raj Thackeray outlined how he will campaign against the BJP and in the one-hour speech he tore into the BJP, attacking it over the suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.
"How did Pulwama happen? Where did the RDX come from? He used to ask the Congress this question. Today, people are asking him that question. Jawans defend the country in such difficult circumstances and these people are playing politics with them. Did you (PM Modi) not feel any shame in creating an alliance with Mehbooba Mufti?" Raj Thackeray said amid cheers from his supporters.
He used newspaper articles and clips of PM Modi's speeches to highlight inconsistencies in the statements on several issues like Aadhaar and handling of the Kashmir issue. The MNS leader used snapshots of newspaper articles as he went point by point, making the rally a complete takedown of PM Modi and the BJP.
"If you type feku on the Internet, it shows Narendra Modi's name... You (PM Modi) told Manmohan Singh to stop sending love letters to Pakistan. But why did you go to eat cake there? Did Nawaz Sharif invite you? Or did you gatecrash? You ate cake and biryani there," Raj Thackeray said.
On Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Raj Thackeray said, "Let Rahul Gandhi become PM. He may just do a good job."
Raj Thackeray is expected to campaign for Congress-NCP candidates without sharing the stage with them by holding in rallies in western Maharashtra and Marathwada. In return, his party expects that the Congress-NCP combine will give it some seats in the assembly elections scheduled later this year.