Country fed up with PM's false words: MNS chief calls for 'Modi-Mukt Bharat'

Mumbai: Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday called for opposition unity and a "Modi-mukt Bharat" by 2019.

Addressing party workers at a rally at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai, Thackeray said, "The country is fed up with the false promises made by Narendra Modi and his government."

All opposition parties should come together to get rid of the BJP-led NDA government to ensure "Modi-mukt Bharat", he said, reminding the audience of BJP's "Congress-mukt Bharat" slogan.

"India got its first Independence in 1947, second in 1977 (after the post-Emergency elections), and 2019 can bring a third Independence if India becomes 'Modi-mukt'," the MNS chief said in his one and half hour long speech at Shivaji Park on the occasion of Gudi Padva.

The MNS chief called demonetisation the biggest scam after independence. “If the government changes and inquiry is initiated against the demonetisation, then it (the noteban) would emerge as the biggest scam since independence,” he added.

Raj Thackeray did not spare the Modi government over Nirav Modi fraud as well.

He also said that the media has been restricted to speak on any anti-government issue and the judiciary has been pressured to give judgements in the favour of the government.

Terming Rafael deal as the bigger scam than Bofors, the MNS leader said no one was talking about it.

“The Rafael agreement was made with the French government for Rs 1600 crore. But the actual price was Rs 550 crore. So we are paying Rs 900 crore extra. The inexperienced Anil Ambani-led Reliance company has been made the partner of the French government. However, the government did not clarify the issue and PM did not even utter a word about it in Parliament,” he said.

Quoting a report of ISRO, Thackeray said, "A large scale desertification of Maharashtra is going on due to depletion of groundwater. After Rajasthan, our state has reported the second highest rate of desertification in country."

Saying this, he went on to question Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's claim of digging of 56,000 wells in the state. He was in favour of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, but it should not be used as an election issue, he said.

"The Babri Masjid demolition case is in the Supreme Court and it will be deliberately discussed in the coming days to instigate communal riots," he said.

"Ram Mandir should be built, but it should not be used as an election plank to divide the society and win votes," he said.

In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign tours, Thackeray said Modi was apparently visiting foreign countries to get "flour for Pakoda" as his tours haven't fetched any investments.

The MNS chief also said that films such as "Toilet Ek Prem Katha" and "Padman" were a covert propaganda for government schemes.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who starred in both the films, was trying to walk in the footsteps of yesteryear actor Manoj Kumar, popularly known as 'Bharat Kumar', he said.

"But Akshay Kumar is not even an Indian citizen. He holds a Canadian passport and his Wikipedia profile describes him as Indian-born Canadian actor," Thackeray said. Taking a potshot at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who recently featured in a video song about river conservation, the MNS chief said, "There are so many problems in the state, but apparently the CM is busy singing songs."

Thackeray also questioned the government's decision to accord state funeral to Bollywood actor Sridevi after her death last month.

"Sridevi was a great actor, but what had she done for the country so that her body should have been wrapped in the tri-colour?" he asked.

Media may have covered her funeral extensively at government's behest to divert people's attention from the Nirav Modi-Punjab National Bank scam, he said.

The government is trying to control media, judiciary and institutions like CBI, Thackeray said, alleging that media is under tremendous pressure from the government.

Incidentally, Raj Thackeray had met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s rally. He, however, described the meeting at Pawar's residence in south Mumbai as a courtesy call.