Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Raj Thackeray backs Narayan Rane, attacks Uddhav at Kankavli rally

In his first rally for the NDA candidate Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray launched a frontal attack on his estranged cousin Uddhav ThackerayldquoUddhav Thackeray came here yesterday and he said that industries from Konkan are going to Gujarat There was a time when you were with the BJP why did you not speak up thenrdquo asked Raj while canvassing for his friend Narayan Rane in Kankavli at Sindhudurg in KonkanTalking about Jaitapur project Raj said that unnecessary rumours are being spread to stop the development of Konkan Raj also read out a list of seven nuclear facilities that are in India ldquoBhabha Atomic Research Centre is in Mumbai and so is the nuclear reactor and they people who oppose projects in Konkan donrsquot talk about it Whyrdquo Raj saidRaj also appealed to Rane that he should develop Konkan on the lines of Goa ldquoBalasaheb had once told me that if there was one person after AR Antule who worked for the development of Konkan it was Narayan Ranerdquo he said Following his stance to support PM Narendra Modi for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray addressed his first public rally in support of the Mahayuti Candidate in Kankavli at Sindhudurg in KonkanInterestingly both Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray had left Shiv Sena due to their differences with Uddhav Thackeray However even after their departure from Shiv Sena Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray have remained good friendsA day ago Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray had addressed a rally on the same venue in Kankavli for Shiv Sena UBT faction and Mahayuti Candidate Vinayak Raut While addressing the rally in Ranersquos home turf Uddhav Thackeray had come down heavily on himMNS Party workers from various parts of Konkan had gathered at Kankavli to hear MNS Chief Raj Thackerayrsquos speech After starting his speech Rane praised Raj Thackeray for accepting his invitation immediately and coming to Konkan for the election campaigning rally He said ldquoRaj is a person who knows how to keep the friendship intact and keep his wordrdquoAddressing the crowd Rane said ldquoIn the last 10 years Narendra Modi ji has done a lot of work including improving the financial condition of the country In 2020 the pandemic happened but Narendra Modi made sure that the COVID19 vaccine was prepared in India and was supplied to all states including MaharashtrardquoRane also said that PM Modi started 54 government schemes for the upliftment of women and also that the PM has given houses to the poor along with providing Ayushman Bharat scheme for the needy Rane also alleged that in the past Uddhav Thackeray has taken money to give ticketsSpeaking on the occasion Raj Thackeray said ldquoWhen I announced my support for the PM for the Lok Sabha elections I never thought I would have to speak at any rally One day Narayan Rao Rane called me and asked if I could come to Kankavli for a rally and I could not say no to him because he is my dear friend and former colleague from our Shiv Sena daysrdquoThackeray also said that he was confident about Ranersquos win ldquoPeople in SindhudurgRatnagiri are intelligent and they will vote for the right candidate The RatnagiriSindhudurg belt is a beautiful one Of the nine Bharat Ratnas awarded to Maharashtra seven are from Konkan and four alone are from Dapoli and that is the reason I say that people of the Konkan region are intelligentrdquo Thackeray said He also praised PM Modi for making Ram Mandir a reality