Patch-up with Uddhav? Rubbish!
The MNS has criticised the Shiv Sena and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on the malaria outbreak issue.
It is not just the BMC, but also the state government-controlled MMRDA which is responsible for the outbreak of malaria in the city. Hence, the Shiv Sena and the state government need to take the initiative on a war footing to control the disease. With each passing day, the situation is worsening. But what is shocking is that the BMC projected a wrong picture to the people. They understated the malaria death toll. I am gleaning information from the BMC itself and will soon expose them.
You also blamed the migrants for spreading this disease. Aren't you politicising the issue?
There is no question of politics. All I am saying is that malaria and other infectious diseases are rapidly spreading due to dirty and illegal slums where mostly migrants stay. Migrants are attacking Mumbai and ruining it. Outsiders are coming in huge numbers to Mumbai and illegally staying in slums. The construction site workers, who have been transmitting the disease, came to Mumbai from other states. Neither the BMC nor the Maharashtra government is doing anything to stop the influx.
How will you and your party tackle the disease when it is so widespread in the city?
From day 1, I have been saying that the outsiders have to be denied entry to the state as they are the biggest problem. Every city has its limitations and Mumbai's infrastructure has come under pressure. In order to discourage the influx, the government authorities have to first stop encroachments. We see slums mushrooming only on the government land. How come private properties remain free from encroachments? It is because the government officers do not take any initiative to save the land. They should feel for their land, feel that it belongs to them and they must protect it from encroachments. Once they do this, there will be no place for outsiders.
Don't you think the Marathi agenda has its limitations and that things have come to a standstill for the MNS after the assembly elections? In 1984-85, the Shiv Sena gave up that agenda because it knew it could not grow beyond a point…
What limitations? There is nothing in the state apart from this agenda. Maharashtra's progress should first benefit the Marathi manoos. Today, there is a huge convention in Tamil Nadu for Tamil language, for which the state is spending Rs350 crore. Nobody dares to ask them why they are spending so much on the convention. I am not answerable for what others do. My agenda is very clear about the Marathi manoos. People will see that I will decide the next mayor of Mumbai in 2012. Why shouldn't it be? Of the 10 crore people in Maharashtra, about nine crore are Marathi-speaking.
How can outsiders be stopped?
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi — all contested elections from Uttar Pradesh. They have retained power at the Centre for a long time. Yet, people from that state go to other states in search of employment. Why don't they [the leaders] feel any shame? I think all state leaders should first focus on their states. Once that happens, the country will progress.
What plan of action are you planning next for your party?
I am working on some fronts, but we can't reveal the strategy now.
There have been talks of a patch-up between you and Uddhav Thackeray. Some Sainiks started the 'Thackeray Jodo' campaign so that you and your cousin come together…
It is rubbish. I don't know who these people are, what their names are or why they are doing it. People who started this campaign are themselves Shiv Sainiks and they have nothing to do with my party. There is no point in talking about ifs and buts.
You have been accused of voting for the Congress in the council polls because you wanted the suspension of your MLAs revoked…
What is wrong with that? I did. It is not a secret. I declared it at a press conference that we supported the Congress in the council polls. Why should I hide the truth? I want all my MLAs to be inside the assembly and raise the issues that concern the public.
There were allegations that MNS's presence was not seen in the Bharat Bandh.
First of all, no one should take credit for this bandh. People made this bandh successful. The common people voluntarily stayed home to express solidarity.
Did you speak to Balasaheb on Guru Poornima?
No, I was not in town. For a long time, I have not spoken to Saheb.
Why is the battle between you and Uddhav increasingly looking more like a personal battle rather than a political rivalry?
That's not true. Show me one incident where I personally attacked anybody.
Sachin Tendulkar had said Mumbai belongs to all of India and Balasaheb said it belongs to Maharashtra. You did not speak about it. What is your stand?
Somebody should tell me who Mumbai belongs to. India is our country. Maharashtra is one of the states in the country, and Mumbai is the capital of our state. On the basis of language, the country has been divided into different parts. It's like Europe. People there call it the European Union. We have different states with different languages, cultures, lifestyles and eating habits. Mumbai is the capital of our state but is a part of India only. That said, obviously Mumbai belongs to India. The only difference is we have to preserve our culture in the state. Our Marathi manoos, the son of soil should get the preference.
In view of the upcoming BMC elections, are there people from opposition parties who want to join you? Are there any celebrities in the queue?
People from different parties have expressed their wish to join us. But I had kept it in abeyance and currently there is no vacancy. I don't believe in celebrities because our fight is on the basis of thought. When you fight that way, you don't need celebrities. Once your thought stops and you can't do anything, you need a celebrity.
Are you satisfied with your MLAs' performance in the assembly?
Before every assembly session, we sit and discuss what kind of issues we have to raise in the assembly. But the problem is my MLAs are not getting sufficient time. I am working on this now, and you will soon see the results.
What about our education policy? Junior college admissions have still not started.
The state has no policy today. There is no policy on health or on education. Policies change as per the whims and fancies of the minister. The government should sit with all the education experts and devise a policy.
What do you think about the idea of no exam till Std VII?
It is all very nice to hear — no exams. Through the exam system we get to know the children's progress, what they understand and what their capacities are. But without exams till the seventh and after that, what will they do? From the children's point of view, it's a very dangerous move. There is a need for exams.
What is your view about the city's and state's law and order situation? Recently, there was tension in Kurla's Nehru Nagar locality following the rape and murder of minor girls…
The answer is again very simple: Outsiders. Nobody knows who stays at such places and who has come from where. The police department has given its 100% and there is no doubt their efficiency. But there are limits as to how much pressure we can put on them.
People talk of corruption in the police department, but nobody discusses their housing problems and lack of basic amenities. Amidst so much chaos, our Mumbai police do their job. If you wish to know, check our state's crime rate and compare it with other states. You will find ours to be much lower. But Mumbai and Maharashtra has huge TRP, so TV channels show crimes from our state. No channels show the crimes that take place in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
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