Burn Autos Driven by Non-Marathis: Raj Thackeray Tells MNS Workers

MNS chief claimed that 70 percent auto permits were given to non-Marathis.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray said burn the autos driven by non-Marathis. (Photo: Reuters)

Claiming that 70 percent of new auto-rickshaw permits were given to non-Marathis, MNS chief Raj Thackeray threatened that his party workers will set the autos on fire if they are seen plying on roads.

If any such auto with a new permit is seen plying on the road, those sitting inside will be asked to come out and the auto will be set on fire. Since Shiv Sena holds the state transport portfolio, I want to ask how much it is getting in the deal.

<b>Raj Thackeray, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena</b>

Thackeray was addressing a gathering of party supporters on the occasion of MNS’ 10th foundation day.

Raj claimed that only ‘sons of the soil’ should be given licences.

The government has done away with norms like asking for a domicile certificate so that they can anyhow grant 70,000 permits in the coming days. The cost of each auto is Rs 1.7 lakh and Rahul Bajaj’s company (Bajaj Auto) has the lot of 70,000 autos ready. It means that this is a business of Rs 1,190 crore.

Thackeray alleged that there was no difference in the functioning of the erstwhile Congress-NCP government and the present BJP-Sena government as “corruption continues unabated”.

Slamming Thackeray’s remarks on non-Marathis getting autorickshaw permits, the opposition Congress and NCP accused him of pursuing “hate politics” and demanded that BJP-Shiv Sena government take legal action against the MNS president.

It is shocking that somebody makes a hate speech and he is allowed to go scot-free. When a non-politician like Kanhaiya Kumar speaks, he is immediately labelled an anti-national and put behind bars. Why is the same yardstick not applied for Raj Thackeray?

<b>Al-Nasser Zakaria, Spokesperson, Congress</b>