Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday night headed for a collision course with the BJP-led saffron alliance Government, as he exhorted his party workers to set on fire all such new autorikshaws with new permits hitting the streets in Mumbai and suburbs in the coming months.
“At a time where there is not even a place for parking of vehicles, the State Government plans issue 70,000 new autorickshaw permits in Mumbai and suburbs with the sole intention of favouring the leading autorikshaw manufacturer. If these new vehicles happen to hit the streets, I have instructed my party workers to force the drivers out of the rickshaw and set the vehicle on fire,” the MNS chief said.
Addressing his party workers on the occasion of his party’s 10th anniversary, Raj charged that the Devendra Fadnavis government would be issuing 70,000 new autorickshaw permits to favour industrialist Rahul Bajaj, whose company had readied 70,000 autorickshaws for sale among the new drivers.
“Considering that each autorikshaw costs Rs1.70 lakh, the Devendra Fadnavis Government has entered into a secret understanding worth Rs1,190 crore with Rahul Bajaj. It is in this backdrop that the state government had drawn a lot of 70,000 new autorickshaw permits,” Raj said.