Aaditya Thackeray: I am 100 per cent ready to lead the state

Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray meets Sunday midday for a sitdown interview and says he feels no pressure at being the first in his family to ever contest an election He realises the challenges will be many and he fully answerable But he is ready to take onus Despite his age and nascent experience Thackeray has been portrayed by many within Shiv Sena as eligible candidate for the Chief Ministers post He says in mature neta style he is ready for any responsibility the party gives him but hed like to take one step at a timeEdited excerpts from the interviewHow did the decision to contest an election come about No Thackeray has ever done itI dont feel any differently from another member of the Sena who has contested an election I have seen my grandfather work with candidates and then my father and I have been quite the fan of the legislative process whether Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha I felt I could personally contribute a lot more if I participated in the legislative processWhy choose Worli as your constituencyWorli is in a sense a reflection of Maharashtra It includes all kinds of people whether those living in highrises BDD chawls or slums There is scope to do development work here Sena MLA Sunil Shinde ji has done some good work here and now we have Sachin Ahir ji with us too We have a strong cadre base in the constituency I believe both Marathi and cosmopolitan voters will support usYour statewide tour has received a good response What have you gathered about what people expect from you They have discussed the economic slowdown And the environment But this election is primarily about local issues For example one of the concerns shared with me by college and school students from a rural constituency was about the long wait at bus stops for transport We have proposed an introduction of close to 3000 buses that will cater exclusively to school and college kids so that they can reach their institutes on time When I see someone give me a thumbs up in a crowd it means they are with us It motivates me to do better for people and society The biggest learning from this yatra is to be able to listen to stories to understand groundlevel problems At a macro level we need to set our policies right As politicians we concern ourselves with the big issues of Maharashtra Talking to farmers and traders has helpedYouve been vocal about protecting Aarey and its rich biodiversity but got trolled when the MMRC went ahead with tree cutting Citizens are upset that a Sena environment minister could do nothingI wrote a detailed blog that made clear my stand on the subject Although we have an environment minister at the centre we had nothing to do with permissions for the Metro We opposed the cutting of trees at Aarey at every possible forum including the Improvement Committee of the BMC where we rejected the proposal We rejected the proposal in the DP and opposed the change in the use of plot for the car shed When the proposal reached the Tree Committee Shiv Sena was the only party to oppose felling of trees while BJP and NCP supported it and Congress staged a walkout All Sena members voted against the cutting We want the Metro and this is not about the cutting of trees Its about an ecosystem Aarey has the floodplains of the Mithi river The Sena isnt saying this NEERI is Either dissolve NEERI or listen to citizens There are papers published in scientific journals proving this Aarey is also home to resident leopards like Luna and her cubs They have options available to shift the car shed to Kanjurmarg Backbay and Oshiwara dept but MMRC has been lying throughout Why the greed to grab land in Aarey MMRC claims that a majority of the trees proposed to be felled have been cut but those attached to the cause say there are enough trees still standing on the car shed site How do you plan to address this post the results If the results go our way we will declare Aarey a forest and protect the Adivasis who reside within it The question is not about trees 3000 trees were cut fo Metro work all over Mumbai We are opposing it because the decision has threatened an entire ecosystemHas the plastic ban been successful according to youI was trolled when we proposed it but then Prime Minister took up the cause too I cant say that its 100 per cent successful in Maharashtra but we will see results in the next three or four years From the governments end its a ban Its the people who will have to turn it into a movement to make it successful Its the shops restaurants cafes theatres that wil have to join the causeThe 247 functioning Mumbai proposal has been long pending What the status on itWe are awaiting a signature from the chief minister The Police Commissioner and Municipal Commissioner have offered their approval The Shop and Establishment Act that was supposed to be amended has been revised in 2017 The direct benefit of this is that the policy will come into effect in nonresidential areas Close to five lakh people will be directly hired by the food and beverage industry and help in revenue generation for the stateSaving and supporting BEST is another of your causes How do you see it pan outBEST is the pride of Mumbai Currently we have 3000 buses and are expanding our fleet to 6000 When we slashed ticket prices in the first month we saw 10 lakh passengers We are also getting 300 electric buses on board and mini buses for last mile connectivity We are also pushing for a single smart card that allows a commuter to travel across BEST the Metro and the suburban railwayIn Sindhudurg Sena has fielded a candidate against Narayan Ranes son despite the BJP and Sena being in an alliance Does it send out a wrong messageIt was mutually decided between party president Uddhavji and CM DevandrajiThere has been talk about a Sena Chief Minister Are you prepared to lead the state if you get the opportunityI am fully prepared a hundred per cent ready to take it ahead But right now Im not dreaming of that because the moment I do I will falter on the lower rungs of the ladder I cant get to first floor without taking the stairs to thereDo you have a number in mind for winning seatsI want the SenaBJP and alliance partners to cross the 200 markOn your own individual seat are you looking at a specific marginIn Worli I am receiving genuine support Im not concerned with the margin My focus is on development that will reach every laneCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates