In a clear indication that his party will not back NCP chief Sharad Pawar's bid to become Prime Minister, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray today said, a person "who could not solve farmers' problems" cannot become the Prime Minister.
"How can a person who as Union Agriculture Minister could not solve problems of farmers become the Prime Minister?" Thackeray asked while talking to reporters after releasing the Sena poll manifesto.
Asked about Sena chief Bal Thackeray's desire that a Marathi person should become the Prime Minister, Uddhav said, "You are under the wrong impression that Marathi means only Pawar."
"In Pawar's tenure as Agriculture Minister, maximum suicides took place in Maharashtra," Uddhav said. "We cannot go along with NCP. Do they accept our Hindutva agenda?" he asked.
"There are winds of change in Maharashtra. The Sena-BJP government will come to power here. At the Centre, it will be a government led by L K Advani," Uddhav said.
"I had advised Pawar that he should not maintain contact with several partners," Uddhav said on Pawar's "flirting" with Third Front and Left leaders.
The manifesto promises to bring back terror law POTA and carry out the death sentence awarded to Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru if Sena-BJP alliance comes to power. Asked the reason for ignoring the Ram temple issue in the
Sena manifesto, when BJP manifesto promises to build the temple after coming to power, Uddhav said, "There is nothing
to feel sad if Ram mandir is built."
The Sena manifesto also promises to make Maharashtra a "zero load-shedding" state if the Sena-BJP alliance is voted to power. It also assures that 80 per cent jobs would be provided to locals.
"We will also give 'Padma' awards to farmers and Sena MPs will raise the demand," he said. The manifesto also demands that Belgaum be made a Centrally-administered area till the Maharashtra-Karnataka border row is resolved by court.