Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray speaks during Bhartiya Kamgar Sena’s 55th Annual General Meeting, in Mumbai on Thursday. (PTI)
Thackeray also slammed the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, terming it insensitive towards issues of labourers
I will take revenge on Eknath Shinde for backstabbing me, Uddhav Thackeray warned on Thursday as he told his party workers that they should all work hard and “bring our days back”.
Speaking at a function of Shiv Sena UBT’s labour union, party chief Thackeray said: “I will not say that our days have gone, but they backstabbed us and I will certainly take revenge.”
Thackeray also slammed the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, terming it insensitive towards issues of labourers. “Ministers who sit in AC cabins don’t understand the life labourers live. When the AC of their cabin malfunctions and a labourer comes to repair it, that’s the only connect they have with them,” he said, adding: “They give respect to industrialists but don’t pay heed to issues of labourers. This shows the government is not for labourers or peasants.”
In his 30-minute speech in Mumbai, Thackeray also spoke about the allegations levelled against him by current Industries Minister Uday Samant that he had opposed major projects in the state.
“In my two-and-a-half-year stint, we brought investments worth approximately Rs 2.5 lakh crore in the state. With our industrial policy, we brought 25 big industries in the state. But this government with a poor industrial policy allowed industries to go to other states. This government had boasted about an international shoe-making company coming to Maharashtra but now I have learnt that the same company has gone to Tamil Nadu.”
He added: “They destabilised my government because I took a stand against projects which were not in favour of people of Maharashtra. Local people were opposing projects like bullet train, Aaray car shed, Nanar refinery etc. Then how can we just force these projects on them?”
Thackeray said if he had been in power, he would have taken the consent of locals before going ahead with projects. “This government accuses me that I only wrote letters and suggested new land parcel for the refinery project. But let me tell you if we would have been in power, we would have taken consent from locals before going ahead with projects.
Questioning the state government over projects such as Vedanta Foxconn, Airbus, and Bulk drug park going to other states, Thackeray also took a dig at Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. “If CM gets time from farming, which he was doing a few days back, then he should face people and answer why these projects have gone to other states. What about the loss of employment of locals?”
Thackeray gave the example of Samruddhi Mega Highway to say: “When locals were opposing this project, I had gone to make them understand its benefits. When they were convinced, only then we went ahead with land acquisition. We were completely transparent unlike this government.”
He also asked his party supporters and workers to take lessons from the farmers’ agitation in Delhi against farm laws. “Those farmers who protested at the Delhi border had only one aim — to abolish those draconian laws. By protesting for 1 year, they forced the government to take the laws back. We must have such dedication and determination while fighting against such a government.”
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