Likening the votes as weapons hidden by Pandavas in the Shami tree, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray on Saturday exhorted the people in the state, especially the youth and farmers, to make effective use of their votes to bring about a change in power
Interacting with the people through a podcast on the occasion of Vijayadashami, Raj said: “Today is Dussehra, one of the most auspicious days of the year. I extend my heartfelt greetings to all of you. On this day, we traditionally exchange the leaves of the Shami tree as a symbol of gold, but for years, Maharashtra’s true wealth has been looted while we pass these leaves among ourselves. It’s time for action”.
Dwelling upon how Pandavas had kept their weapons hidden on the Shami tree, Raj asked the people to bring down their unused “weapons” (votes) from the Shami and use them in the elections to herald a change.
“You often leave your vote unused. After that, you spend the next five years speaking against the decisions made by these same politicians whom you elected. This time, use your vote as your weapon. Do not fall into the trap of caste, community, or familiarity,” the MNS chief said, asking the people to take revenge against the politicians who had betrayed them.
“Building roads and flyovers is not real progress. Having mobile phones and gadgets doesn’t equate to development.
True progress lies in the upliftment of society as a whole. Yet, even after so many years, we are still groping in the dark, trapped by the false promises of the political class,” Raj said.
“For years, your votes have been taken for granted by the politicians. As a result, Maharashtra is on the decline... The forthcoming State Assembly polls provides you an opportunity to bring about a change,” Raj said, as he attempted to tell the people that his party is different from the rest of the political parties contesting the elections.
Raj Thackeray is the nephew of late Bal Thackeray and cousin of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. He rebelled against the Sena chief, quit the then united Shiv Sena on November 27, 2005 and set up a new political party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on March 6, 20206. Though his party has fought many elections since then, it has not had much success.
The MNS did not contest the recent Lok Sabha polls, but extended unconditional support to the BJP-led ruling MahaYuti in the state.
However, in the forthcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls, The MNS is planning to contest anywhere from 225 to 250 seats of the total 288 seats in the state.
