Mumbai, March 19 (IANS) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday questioned the Central government’s lack of support for Iran. ​

He said Iran has been a long‑standing ally of India, particularly on the sensitive Jammu and Kashmir issue, and warned that failing to stand by a trusted partner would lead to serious diplomatic and economic consequences for India.​

He said much of India’s oil comes from Iran and that the country had supplied it in Rupees.​

“When Iran was attacked, our Prime Minister did not issue a single statement of support. Even after the passing of Khamenei, there was no official message of condolence or protest,” he remarked during his Gudi Padwa speech at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park.​

Marking the 20th anniversary of the MNS, Thackeray described the milestone as a “divine omen” and expressed confidence that his party would eventually come to power to restore Maharashtra’s “lost glory”.​

In a wide‑ranging address, he spoke about the state’s rising debt, deteriorating urban infrastructure, and sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy on the Iran‑Israel conflict.​

It was his first speech after the MNS’ rout in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, despite joining hands with his cousin and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on issues of Marathi pride and safeguarding the interests of the Marathi Manoos.​

Turning to domestic matters, Thackeray attacked the state government over Maharashtra’s financial condition. He pointed out that state debt was around Rs 2 lakh crore in 2014 under Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, and has now risen to Rs 11 lakh crore.​

“The Chief Minister talks about a 3‑trillion‑dollar economy and development, but the state is sinking in debt,” he said.​

Thackeray described Maharashtra’s urban centres as “collapsed” and “formless”, saying permissions for skyscrapers were being granted indiscriminately while basic issues such as traffic congestion remained unaddressed.​

He also urged the youth to disconnect from digital distractions.​

“Come out of Instagram reels. The government wants you distracted by IPL, films, and social media so that you don’t take to the streets to question them. You are rotting while expressing anger only on mobile screens,” he told the crowd.​

Reflecting on his early years, Thackeray recalled a lesson from his uncle and mentor, the late Balasaheb Thackeray. ​

He said Balasaheb once told him that the delivery of a speech mattered less than giving people something meaningful to think about. ​

He added that those words remained “etched in his mind like a tightened screw”.​

Despite electoral setbacks, Thackeray insisted that the MNS was the only party truly standing for Maharashtra. ​

He declared with conviction that the party would one day come to power to reclaim the state’s prestige.

Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray launched the "Maharashtra Next" website, designed as a collaborative platform to crowdsource ideas for the state's future development.

He said that the website serves as an evolution of Thackeray's 2014 "Blueprint" for Maharashtra, shifting from a static document to an interactive portal.

Raj Thackeray said that the platform covers a wide array of subjects focusing on 27 sectors including infrastructure, transport facilities, electricity, and water management, social welfare comprising healthcare (Arogya Swarajya), primary education, and women’s empowerment, economy comprising agriculture policy, industrial growth, and local entrepreneurship, identity and culture consisting of conservation of forts, Marathi literature, and traditional sports and bilingual access.

To ensure a broad reach, the website is available in both Marathi and English.

“In 2006, from this very platform, I stated that I would bring a development blueprint for Maharashtra. I released that Blueprint in 2014. Since then, until today, no one has asked me what that blueprint actually contains. Therefore, to build the Maharashtra of the future, I am bringing forward this new plan, Maharashtra Next,” said Raj Thackeray.

On the occasion of MNS’s 20th anniversary, celebrated on March 9 at the historic Raigad fort, Raj Thackeray noted that, while he had released a detailed development blueprint in 2014, it lacked the active engagement he had hoped for from the public and political peers.

Maharashtra Next is his attempt to modernise that vision by making it a "living document" that adapts to the current needs of the people.

--IANS

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