Raj Thackeray slams Modi government for not backing Iran amid West Asia conflict

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS chief Raj Thackeray came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre criticising the Indian government for not openly supporting Iran amid the ongoing conflict Questioning Indiarsquos stance at his annual Gudi Padwa 2026 rally at Shivaji Park Ground Mumbai on Thursday Thackeray asked why the country appears silent despite Iran being a longstanding ally and suggested that such restraint does not reflect the historical ties and goodwill shared between the two nationslsquoWill prove costly in the futurersquoSpeaking at the rally Thackeray said that Iran has supported India on crucial issues such as Jammu and Kashmir in the past yet India has not stood firmly by Iran in its time of crisisldquoNot a single statement has come from the Prime Minister on the death of Iranrsquos Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Iran has also extended economic support by supplying oil through a rupeebased mechanism This will certainly pose a problem for us in the futurerdquo he addedlsquoCoastal roads for outsidersrsquoSlamming the coastal road projects he said ldquoWhile Marathi people are praising the coastal road it is not meant for you The road is for others to come in and Marathi people to go outrdquolsquoDespite the loan waiver highest farmer suicides reportedrsquoldquoLoan waivers for farmers have been announced thrice until now But the highest number of farmer suicides is being reported in Maharashtrardquo said the MNS chiefMarathi prideHe also stated that the Marathi people are losing their pride ldquoOnce the situation goes out of control it will be difficult to make a comebackrdquo he warnedRising debt concernsAccording to Thackeray when Prithviraj Chavan was the chief minister Maharashtra had a debt of Rs 2 lakh croreldquoNow it is Rs 11 lakh crorerdquo he said slamming the state governmentTraffic congestionTaking a dig at the administration for poor roads and infrastructure Thackeray said that if one orders pizza it reaches within 10 minutes but when citizens step out they cannot reach anywhere in the same timelsquoMissing children a concernrsquoldquoThousands of children especially girls are missing from Maharashtra and Mumbai What kind of a state and city is itrdquo Thackeray said in a swipe at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who heads the home departmentMNS chief urges citizens to give up InstagramThackeray claimed that keeping people engaged on mobile phones is part of a ploy to keep citizens busyldquoMobile has become indispensable in human life People are so involved that they are not aware of whats happening outside They need to come out of Instagramrdquo the MNS chief appealedlsquoOne day we will come to powerrsquoStating that MNS stands for Maharashtra he is confident of coming to rule in the state ldquoOne day we will come to power I am pretty sure about itrdquo Thackeray addedWhy this yearrsquos rally was closely watchedTwenty years after Thackeray founded MNS the partyrsquos annual Gudi Padwa rally this year carries added political significance as it marks his first such address following an alliance with his cousin and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav ThackerayAfter quitting the Shiv Sena in 2005 Thackeray floated his own party the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS on March 9 2006 Ten days later on March 19 2006 he held the first rally at Shivaji ParkMNS chief pays tribute to Bal Thackeray praises Sharad PawarMNS chief Raj Thackeray said that the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray was among the first leaders to mobilise people around the idea of Hindutva and instil a sense of pride in Marathi identity making locals realise their collective strength He also praised Nationalist Congress Party SP chief Sharad Pawar noting that the sight of people selling fruits on roads today is a result of Pawarrsquos policies and sustained push to support fruit farmers in the stateMarathi print on RSSSpeaking about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh RSS Thackeray claimed that of the six RSS chiefs four were Marathi ldquoIn fact the organisation was founded by the Marathi onlyrdquo he reflectedlsquoMaharashtra Nextrsquo platform to connect citizens with governmentThackeray also announced the launch of a new website inviting people to participate and share their ideas and vision for the state He said the platform titled lsquoMaharashtra Nextrsquo will be open to all citizens to contribute suggestions and innovative thoughts aimed at shaping the future of MaharashtraldquoThis will first go to the committee of experts Once approved it will go to the government This is a bridge between the citizens and the governmentrdquo added Thackeray