
With BMC polls round the corner, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray today said that he has not given up his anti-North Indian card. Raj said he still sticks to his stand on migrant North Indians and the agenda of reserving jobs for locals (Maharashtrians), that have been allegedly taken away by ‘outsiders’ (non-Maharashtrians).
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He said this in a media brief which was telecasted ‘live’ through a social networking site.
Raj, who is now struggling to remain politically relevant, had floated MNS a decade back after he broke away from Shiv Sena, on the sole pole plank of ensuring benefit to the ‘Marathi Manoos’ (son of soil) and has been raking up the migrant issue time and again.
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Now with BMC polls nearing, Raj today said his party intends to contest all 10 municipal corporation elections in the state. MNS currently holds Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC).
On BMC elections, Raj said that BJP was indulging in “double talk”.
“The party shares power with Shiv Sena in BMC and still criticises that there is a lot of corruption in the Corporation. If there is corruption, the BJP is also party to it,” he said.
“Shiv Sena and BJP, both have good amount of money at their disposal that can be spent during the campaign. I have candidates to contest but do not have sufficient money,” he claimed.
MNS has 28 corporators in the current House. Its strength in Maharashtra Assembly shrunk to one from 13 MLAs in 2009 Assembly polls.
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