‘Look at the map’: Raj Thackeray alleges Adani Group expansion under BJP rule

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Monday reiterated his allegations against the BJP accusing the party of favouring industrialist Gautam Adani and enabling the rapid expansion of the Adani Group across Mumbai Maharashtra and the countryIn a post on X Raj referred to maps shown during his rally on Sunday with cousin Uddhav claiming they illustrated how major infrastructure and business projects were awarded to the Adani Group after the BJP came to power pictwittercomEYZ3mP5JHcmdash MNS Adhikrut mnsadhikrut January 12 2026The two cousins held a joint Shiv Sena UBTndashMaharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar Mumbai where they shared the stage for the first time in nearly two decades ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC Election 2026During his address Raj used maps from 2014 and 2025 to argue that Gautam Adanirsquos business footprint had expanded dramatically under BJP rule He claimed that while Adani had limited projects earlier the conglomerate now operates across sectors such as electricity cement ports airports and infrastructure allegedly with government backingldquoIn 2014 Gautam Adani had just one project in Maharashtra By 2024 he has multiple projects across the staterdquo Raj said pointing to visuals displayed during his speechReferring specifically to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMR Raj said ldquoTake a close look at the expansion of the Adani Group in the MMR region Some forces still resentful that Mumbai became part of Maharashtra instead of Gujarat are now trying to gain control over Mumbai and MMR by backing this industrial conglomeraterdquoRaj also launched a broader attack on the BJPled government alleging that its governance showed little concern for public opinion He claimed the controversy over Hindi lsquocompulsionrsquo was a deliberate test to see whether the Marathi manoos was still alertldquoAfter the Vidhan Sabha polls the government started doing whatever it wanted They didnrsquot care about the people of Maharashtrardquo he said Comparing the current regime with previous governments Raj alleged ldquoThis government neither cares about the people nor fears themrdquoHe further accused the BJP of forming opportunistic political alliances claiming the party allied with AIMIM in Akot and with the Congress in Badlapur resulting in the election of 66 candidates without public scrutinyldquoToday it is 66 tomorrow the number will increaserdquo he warnedTargeting BJPrsquos candidate selection Raj alleged that Vinod Gangane who he claimed was linked to a drug racket was given a BJP ticket in Tuljapur while Tushar Apte who is a coaccused in the Badlapur sexual abuse case was also fielded by the partyldquoHow can such people be given ticketsrdquo questioned the MNS chiefRaj further alleged that the BJP was ldquoselling Mumbai Maharashtra and even the countryrdquo and urged voters to consider the consequences carefullyDuring the rally he also took a swipe at K Annamalai mockingly referring to him as ldquorasmalairdquo after the BJP leader reportedly described Mumbai as an ldquointernational cityrdquo while campaigning in Dharavi and Sion KoliwadaldquoOne rasmalai has come from Tamil Naduhellip what connection do you have with this place Hatao lungi bajao pungirdquo Raj said invoking the iconic slogan associated with the Shiv Sena founded by his late uncle Balasaheb ThackerayRajrsquos remarks drew loud cheers from the crowd highlighting the emotive issue of Mumbairsquos identity as political parties gear up for the upcoming civic polls The joint appearance of Raj and Uddhav at Shivaji Park marked a significant political moment signalling a possible shift in Maharashtrarsquos political landscape ahead of BMC Election 2026