Raj Thackeray visits Gujarat, praises Narendra Modi. What’s cooking?

On the first day of his nine-day Gujarat tour, MNS chief Raj Thackeray was all praise for chief minister Narendra Modi. Modi did not stay behind and showered praises on Junior Thackeray for choosing Gujarat instead of Switzerland for a study tour.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief said the intention of his visit was to take a leaf out the Modi-led administration in tackling issues like corruption and power, back home. Interestingly, the MNS backs the Congress in Maharashtra.

“In Maharashtra, electricity, roads and corruption are a major problem. I want to see how Gujarat government has been able to address the issues of electricity and corruption. I also want to see how the system of politicians and state bureaucrats is working here, hand in hand,” Thackeray told media persons in Ahmedabad.

After Thackeray praised Modi and later met him, many eyebrows were however raised. Those observing the development said that there could be much more to the Thackeray-Modi meeting than the MNS chief’s nine-day tour to study development in the state.  

Thackeray has come with a team of 25 members who are experts in various sectors. However, politicians and bureaucrats are baffled. His coming to the state was a hot topic in the state secretariat on Wednesday.

Both Modi and Thackeray talked to the media in the evening. While Thackeray said that he would talk to the press after his tour was over, Modi appreciated Thackeray for visiting Gujarat to see the development in the state.

The CM said, "While many political leaders go to Switzerland, Thackeray has choosen to visit Gujarat and it is news because his study tour to know Gujarat's development is a significant event. The country's development practices should not be seen politically but looked at in a broader sense."

After arriving at Ahmedabad, Thackeray took the control of an SUV and drove with his team to Sabarmati Ashram and to Sardar Patel National Memorial at Shahibaug. Soon after that, he reached Circuit House, Gandhinagar, where the secretaries from various state government departments were waiting for him.

Thackeray and his team attended a marathon five-hour session of presentations from departments like Urban Development, Rural Development, Panchayats, Irrigation, Education, Finance, Industries, Tourism and Health. Many of the officers present there found the MNS chief to be soft-spoken, contrary to the image he carries on the TV.

An officer said, "The TV image of Raj Thackeray is that of an aggressive and vocal speaker, but here people, who interacted with him, found him to be soft-spoken and an attentive listener. During the education department presentation, he asked about how the school drop-out ratio in the state primary schools had gone down, and about Gunotsav programme."

An official said, "The presentations were mainly focused on the state government's achievements in the past 10 years under the leadership of chief minister Narendra Modi. The CM's theme of 'Panchshakti' for development _Jan Shakti, Raksha Shakti, Jal Shakti, Urja Shakti, Gyan Shakti areas _ were also presented.''

Some other officials, however, found him to be like any other politician.  "During the industries department presentation, members of his delegations asked various questions related to state's policy about land acquisitions for the industries, what kind of problems are faced, but Thackeray was very quiet. He appeared to be like any other politician. We couldn't make out from his facial expressions whether he liked the presentation or had any queries," an official said.