Despite its attack on Jains during Paryushan in 2015, MNS chief wants community to support party
Mahendra Jain spoke at rallies in Kalachowkie and Bhandup
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray is now wooing the Jain community. The leader of the party's business cell, himself a Jain, was asked to speak at Thackeray's really at Kalachowkie. Mahendra Jain appealed to the community to not vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah (BJP President).
Jain talks to community
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Thackeray has roped in Jain, a businessman who is involved with the party since 2011, to woo the community. Since the Paryushan fiasco a few years back, the party wants the Jain community to support MNS. Jain was given an opportunity to speak at Kalachowkie and then he also spoke at the rally at Bhandup. At Kalachowkie he targeted Modi, while in Bhandup he spoke about the economy and the PM's decisions.
The party has been looking to expand with an eye on the upcoming Assembly polls. To oppose the BJP, despite not contesting the polls, the MNS chief toured the state and told people how the government has fooled them all along and asked them not to fall in its trap again. He also diluted his stand on North Indians, and further to neutralise the party's aggressive stand against the Jain community during Paryushan a few years back, he roped in Jain.
Jain has been appointed as the party's Business Cell head and is urging the business community also to join it. In the past one month about 500 odd people have become part of this cell of MNS. After elections, Jain said the aim will be to actively attract businessmen across the state to join them. He spoke in the south Mumbai constituency on Tuesday against Modi and called him a liar. He also said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis keeps meeting Jain gurus after eating meat, and this shows the kind of people there are in BJP.
'Not against community'
MNS workers are helping Congress candidate Milind Deora in south Mumbai and mid-day had also reported how he was trying to influence the jeweller community in Kalbadevi. Asked how MNS is attempting to appease the community after the Paryushan attack, Jain said, "We have never been against the community, we were only opposing the government's plan to extend the shutting of slaughter houses for eight days, and it was about this. My speech came from my heart as Modi ji has been fooling the nation and that is why I have asked my community to not vote for him."
Also Read: Elections 2019: Sharad Pawar and Raj Thackeray are hand-in-glove says BJP
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