In BJP bastion, Thackeray vows to end cow slaughter

He slammed the BJP for giving tickets to about 60 candidates who were earlier with the Congress and the NCP.

Speaking at the BJP bastion of Kasba Peth constituency in Pune, MNS chief Raj Thackeray promised to introduce an Act against cow slaughter if voted to power. He was campaigning in Pune for 18 MNS candidates.

Thackeray spoke at length about how cows are brutally slaughtered for leather in the state. He said that he is an animal lover and has many pet dogs. “I promise that if MNS comes to power with full majority, I will bring gau hatya bandi kayda (anti-cow slaughter Act) in Maharashtra,” he said.

MNS corporator Ravindra Dhangekar had lost the 2009 Assembly elections to BJP’s four-time MLA Girish Bapat by a narrow margin in the constituency. MNS corporator Kishor Shinde had lost to Shiv Sena’s Chandrakant Mokate in Kothrud constituency, also a saffron stronghold. MNS is also contesting from the Parvati constituency, which has big number of Sangh Parivar activists.

He slammed the BJP for giving tickets to about 60 candidates who were earlier with the Congress and the NCP. “I wonder if Narendra
Modi is campaigning for BJP or the Congress-NCP candidates,” he said.

Thackeray, however, avoided criticising the Shiv Sena.