Raj Thackeray rakes up sons-of-soil issue in Kalyan LS seat

Thane, Apr 21: Raising his pitch against "outsiders", MNS chief

has said that Thane district is witnessing influx of people who indulge in "illegal" activities. "No one knows what is going on in

and especially here.

This district is witnessing influx of people who are engaged in all kinds of illegal activities... Issues like land grabbing too are unattended," Raj said last night while addressing a rally in support of party nominee Pramod (Raju) Patil from the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat.

Raj said no MP from MH ever tried to protect self-respect of Maharashtrians

Raking up the sons-of-the-soil issue, the MNS chief said, "The government did not take any action on a former chief minister of Goa who had said that the coastal state did not want trains loaded with beggars from Bihar coming there. However, when it comes to Raj Thackeray, the government has filed as many as 94 criminal cases...Why this discrimination?" Raj accused national media of being "biased" towards him and said, "It has conveniently ignored the instances of atrocities committed on Biharis in Assam while singling me out".

The MNS chief said that no MP from the state ever tried to protect the "swabhiman (self respect)" of Maharashtrians. "I have declared my support for BJP's PM nominee Narendra Modi with this intention only...What is wrong to raise voice in the interest of people and get their issues redressed," he said. "My hands are clean, my mind is clean and my thoughts are clean. I do not not live in a house of glass," Raj said.

On his recent TV interview, he said, "I shouted at the journalist concerned because he was not maintaining decorum...I am under nobody's obligation and can never be cowed down". Kalyan Lok Sabha seat, which comprises fringe townships of Ambernath, Kalyan-east, Ulhasnagar, Dombivali, Mumbra-Kalwa and Kalyan Rural, is currently represented by Shiv Sena rebel and now the NCP nominee Anand Paranjape. Sena has fielded Shrikant Shinde from this seat.

PTI