Raj Thackeray to begin Maharashtra tour

Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray will start his Maharashtra tour from May 1. He will address the first rally in Vasai on Tuesday. Later, he will travel to the Konkan, western Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha.

Earlier, at a rally in Mumbai, Mr Thackeray had indicated that he would target the central government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The objective of the tour is to revive MNS fortunes in the state. MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said, “This will be Mr Thackeray’s statewide tour. The people of Maharashtra are eagerly waiting for him. The BJP has made a complete mess of governance and people are completely disappointed. So, this tour will mobilise the people.”

Mr Thackeray will address only one rally during his tour which will be on Maharashtra Day on Tuesday, May 1. Through his address, Mr Thackeray will try to reach out to the people of the state. Thereafter however, there will be no rally. Mr Deshpande said, “The idea is to meet people. Discuss issues with them. And also to encourage party workers for the battle a year later.”

While addressing the rally on Gudi Padwa  on March 18, Mr Thackeray had slammed the PM and the BJP on a number of issues. Recently, he sharpened his attack by calling the BJP ‘A team of liars’. The tour will be the MNS chief’s attempt to capture as much anti-BJP space as possible.

A close aide said on the eve of Mr Thackeray’s ambitious tour, “Our challenge is to focus on the party’s strongholds and win the seats by getting all resources together.”