I started MNS with a dream: Raj

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has put forward an agenda for development of Maharashtra, with an eye on assembly polls in the state later this year.

'I started MNS with a dream of development of Maharashtra. I feel that the world should envy the state for its development and I have prepared blueprint for that,' Raj said.

People have ridiculed the idea of blueprint and asked me where it is. It is ready and with me and covers seven developmental issues of the state, Raj said, in an article in leading Marathi newspaper Loksatta on Sunday.

Rubbishing Shiv Sena criticism that MNS divided Marathi votes, Raj said: "If this is indeed the case, then why did Marathi people not vote for the Sena in 2004 polls when MNS did not exist."

It was only after a survey, which showed that people would support the party on development issues, that he established the MNS, he said.

With some experts, Raj has set up Maharashtra Navnirman Academy at Pune to research various topics of the state including economy, health, education and infrastructure. The academy is busy in designing various plans for the states development, he said.

Addressing the grave issue of water scarcity in rural Maharashtra, Raj said politicians have made populist announcements like free power, jobs, low cost food but they could not manage natural resource like water.

In Marathwada region, water level has gone down to 700 feet and experts fear that the region could become a desert in 15 to 20 years, he said.

Despite this warning, the state government has permitted six beer manufacturing projects at Aurangabad and mineral water projects at Latur and Beed, he said.

Emphasising on poor infrastructure in the cities, Raj said politicians who think about potholes and tenders to re-build the roads can do no good to the state.

On his pet topic of outsiders coming to Mumbai, Raj said planning of the city had collapsed and illegal slums were proliferating. There is no control over people coming from other states to Mumbai and Maharashtra. While politicians are busy in giving free housing to illegal slums dwellers, our state police have no houses to stay, he said.