Will stop Maharashtra projects moving to Gujarat if elected, says Uddhav

Kankavli (Maharashtra), Nov 13 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the flight of industrial projects from Maharashtra to Gujarat and asked him to clarify his vision of development.

Thackeray reiterated the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s opposition to a refinery project at Barsu in the Konkan region over the potential risk it poses to ecology.

"Amit Shah has accused me of stalling development projects during my tenure as the chief minister in the MVA government. What is Shah's definition of development? I stayed flight of projects from Maharashtra to Gujarat. In future I will ban the movement of projects (if voted to power)," Thackeray said.

He addressed a rally for the November 20 assembly elections at Kankavli in the coastal Sindhudurg district, the home ground of his bete noire and BJP MP Narayan Rane.

Thackeray alleged that the BJP didn't even spare a submarine project which was supposed to be set up in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief framed the forthcoming polls as a battle between "Maharashtra premi and Maharashtra drohi" (between those who love the state and the traitors).

Thackeray said he was hurt by Shiv Sena (UBT)'s defeat in the Konkan region in the Lok Sabha polls.

Narayan Rane wrested the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency from Shiv Sena (UBT) in the recent elections.

"A person who can finish off Shiv Sena is yet to be born," Thackeray said while accusing the BJP of pulling out all the stops to finish him off politically.

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, son of Narayan Rane, is in the fray from the Kankavli assembly segment against Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sandesh Parkar. PTI