Raj Thackeray ridicules Maharashtra govt about Shivaji memorial

Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Monday once again targeted the BJP over the Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial and ridiculed the state government’s planning for the project. He even lashed out at the BJP for bringing politics into the naming of the Ram Mandir railway station.

Raj was in Pune to inaugurate a few works done by his corporators. Referring to the recent foundation stone laying ceremony for the memorial in the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: “I do not know how the memorial will be constructed. It will be taller than the Statue of Liberty. But the Statue of Liberty was erected on a natural stone. Here, we have to reclaim land artificially. The government could have instead spent money in protecting the forts built by Shivaji Maharaj. Nobody remembers the statues except on anniversaries.”

The MNS chief also recalled that a sword of Shivaji Maharaj in Raigad fort was found broken and had to be replaced recently, pointing to the government’s ignorance towards the existing memorials.

That apart, he criticised the naming of the new station as Ram Mandir. “The BJP played politics all these years in the name of Ram Mandir and have now named a new station the same. Why have they not built the Ram Mandir when they are in power now? So many people have died for it. We are criticised for changing our stand on a few occasions. But what about the BJP now?” Raj asked.

The MNS will be contesting the municipal corporation polls in all major civic bodies, including the ones in Mumbai, Nashik, Pune and Thane. The MNS chief alleged that the BJP was not even getting candidates for the local body polls held last month. “The BJP lured people from the Congress and NCP and got them elected. But the party was not getting candidates. In fact, what was the BJP three years ago?” he asked.