Raj launches ‘Maharashtra Next’, a public-driven initiative to prepare a new development blueprint for the state | Mumbai News
3 min readMumbaiMar 20, 2026 12:10 AM IST
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the state government, alleging a rise in drug abuse, increasing cases of missing children, mounting debt and a “contractors-driven” system of governance.
Addressing the annual Gudi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park, that also marked party’s 20 years of foundation, Thackeray questioned the government’s development claims, pointing to the state’s debt of nearly Rs 11 lakh crore.
“The Chief Minister speaks of development and a $3 trillion economy, but the state is already under Rs 11 lakh crore debt,” he said, adding that the debt had risen from nearly Rs 2 lakh crore during the tenure of former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.
On law and order, Thackeray alleged that drugs had “spread across Maharashtra”, including in schools and colleges. Referring to data presented in the Assembly by Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, he said the government itself had acknowledged the seriousness of the issue. “The Home Minister has admitted the situation is serious. But data alone will not solve the problem” he said.
He also raised concerns over missing children, citing NCRB data. According to him, 82 children went missing in Mumbai over 36 days in November and December, while 499 abduction cases were reported in Navi Mumbai between January and November 2025. He said 4,500 to 5,500 children go missing in Maharashtra every year.
Alleging a breakdown in governance, Thackeray said the system was being run by “contractors and money”.
“With no elections for the next three years, everyone is free to make money through contracts… Maharashtra has been put up for sale,” he said.
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He also criticised the lack of rural development, saying it was forcing youth to migrate to cities that were already under strain. “Cities are collapsing… a pizza reaches in 10 minutes, but you cannot reach anywhere in 10 minutes,” he said, referring to traffic congestion and unplanned construction in the cities.
Raising the issue of identity, Thackeray said Maharashtra risked losing its linguistic and cultural distinctiveness. “Every state protects its language, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat… But what are we doing?” he said.
In a concluding appeal, Thackeray announced the launch of “Maharashtra Next”, a public-driven initiative to prepare a new development blueprint for the state. He said earlier efforts had been ignored and criticised the current model of development as limited to roads, flyovers and large project announcements, adding that the new initiative would seek public participation to shape a more comprehensive approach.
