Uddhav Thackeray only understands ‘dhan ki baat’: BJP

Launching a scathing attack on Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP and the Rane-family on Saturday alleged that the former chief minister only understands “dhan ki baat” and smelled a conspiracy behind the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s stand against the proposed super-refinery project at Ratnagiri.

Union MSME Minister and Rajya Sabha member Narayan Rane’s sons - Dr Nilesh Rane, a former Congress MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg and Nitesh Rane, the BJP MLA from Kankavli, staged a protest at Rajapur on Saturday against Thackeray’s visit to Basru, where the Rs 3 lakh-crore Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) project, would be coming up.

They also said that they would ensure that the project comes up and people of the coastal Konkan get benefits.

“The Centre as well as the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has made it very clear that the locals would be taken along and their queries and issues would be addressed,” Nilesh said.

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“Now there are protests against the Ratnagiri super refinery project.... Earlier there were protests against the Jaitapur nuclear power park project….Thackeray understands only ‘dhan ki baat’,”Nilesh added. “Does he (Thackeray) want that only (his sons) Aaditya and Tejas earn money and not the youth of the Konkan region…the project will open up opportunities for the locals,” he added.

Nilesh said that people are interested in the project but attempts are being made to scuttle it. “We will ensure that the project comes up,” he said, adding that Thackeray has not done anything for the Konkan region.

The Rane-brothers, accompanied by locals and BJP workers also went to the Rajapur tehsil office and handed over a memorandum.

They also lashed out at Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg MP Vinayak Raut and Rajapur MLA Rajan Salvi, who were from the Shiv Sena (UBT).

The Rane-brothers said that the visit by Thackeray is to disturb the situation in the areas where the project would be located.

"It needs to be investigated whether he has got an offer to protest against the project,” Nitesh said adding that while Thackeray was chief minister he batted for the Barsu location, wanting to know why he changed the stand.