PUNE: Even as the Congress party is projecting Manmohan Singh as its prime ministerial candidate and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already announced its senior leader Lal Krishan Advani as its candidate for the prime minister’s post, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray set the cat amongst the pigeon in the BJP camp by stating that the future of the country would be bright only if the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is made the prime minister of the country after the Lok Sabha polls.
Raj has thus created ripples in the BJP and is making moves to create more rifts in the party. Raj also created a ripple in the Maharashtra BJP by stating that Nitin Gadkari, the state BJP president and bete noire of BJP General Secretary Gopinath Munde, is the most competent and capable leader in the state. Surprised by these statements of Raj, political analysts wonder whether this is a gimmick or some new strategy being floated by the MNS chief.
Speaking at a public function in Pune on Sunday night, Raj said that selfish, opportunist and corrupt political leaders have sold the state. By keeping important questions relating to public welfare on hold, these leaders have destroyed the state. “The state would prosper only when it is freed from the clutches of such leaders,” he said.
Raj lavished heaps of praises on Modi and Gadkari. “The one who really feels for Maharashtra, can think and act decisively ... is visible in Maharashtra is Nitin Gadkari,” Raj asserted.
