Anna dispute: Ajit Pawar takes on Raj Thackeray

Mumbai, Jul 7: Rubbishing criticism by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar today (Jul 7) said it was "easy to make statements which please people."

The Maharashtra deputy chief minister was responding to Thackeray's statement at a public meeting in Nashik on July 2 where he had suggested that anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare "focus his energies on exposing corruption cases involving NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal."

"In democracy, everybody has a right to speak. MNS has 12 MLAs in the Assembly. Let them speak in the House, show proof, documents," Ajit Pawar told reporters here.

"A person like Raj Thackeray always speaks like this. It is easy to make statements which please people," he said, adding "everybody should play a role to expose corruption".

At the meeting, Raj Thackeray had said that it was time Hazare protested against alleged corruption of Ajit Pawar and public works minister Bhujbal.

"My party will support Hazare if he exposes these two leaders in several corruption cases," the MNS chief declared.

PTI