Nawaz to Modi: Let’s resolve all issues through talks

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has written to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi expressing satisfaction over his recent meeting and said he was looking forward to work with him in harmony to resolve all unsettled matters through talks.
In a letter released to the media by the Prime Minister’s Office here, the prime minister said he had “returned much satisfied” with a meaningful exchange of thoughts on matters of bilateral and regional interest.

Nawaz Sharif thanked Modi for this generous hospitality in the enduring Subcontinental tradition. He mentioned that millions in Pakistan and India were living in poverty who deserved the foremost attention of their governments.

“In many ways their future is integrated with our common economic destiny, and I firmly believe that in our concerted efforts lies the welfare and prosperity of our two nations,” the prime minister said. “It is my earnest hope that our endeavours will lay the foundation for a much brighter future,” he added.

Nawaz Sharif held talks with Modi in New Delhi last month after attending the inauguration of the Indian premier, who swept to power in a landslide election victory.

Modi’s invitation to Nawaz Sharif was a surprise move seen as a significant olive branch to Pakistan. The letter was sent last week to India’s foreign ministry through the Pakistan High Commission.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif termed the approval for financing of $700 million loan for Pakistan by the World Bank as a historical achievement.

Ishaq Dar apprised the prime minister of the World Bank’s approval for financing the 4,500MW Dasu Hydropower Project.The prime minister said $600 million will be utilised for the Dasu Hydropower Project and $100 million for the Sindh irrigation project.

The premier congratulated Ishaq Dar and his team for this remarkable achievement and said it shows confidence of the multilateral donors and foreign countries in the economy of Pakistan. He said the projects would lessen the power shortages and help in better utilisation of water resources.

The minister said the World Bank’s loans were purely concessionary and cheap. “The repayment schedule is spread over a period of 25 years including five years grace period, with low interest and nominal administrative charge of 2% per annum. It will also help in the reduction of domestic debt,” Ishaq Dar said.

Modi government makes economic revival 'paramount' goal

NEW DELHI: India´s new government pledged Monday to make the revival of the flagging economy its "paramount" target as it laid out its legislative agenda following Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s landslide election victory.

In an address to the two houses of parliament which was drawn up by Modi´s new cabinet, President Pranab Mukherjee said India´s economy faced "extremely difficult" times and that inflation was "unacceptably" high.

The speech also included a series of ambitious policy goals that had been laid out in the election manifesto of Modi´s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including the creation of 100 new cities and a revamp of the railway network. "The country is passing through an extremely difficult phase on the economic front," said Mukherjee. "Putting the economy back on track is paramount for my government."

"My government will strive to get India on a high growth path, reign in inflation, restart the investment cycle....(and) restore investor confidence," he said.

India´s economy has been growing at below five percent for the past two years, way below the level needed to lift millions of people out of poverty, while inflation is currently running close to nine percent.

Modi´s right-wing BJP, which thrashed the ruling centre-left Congress party in marathon polls in April and May, made reviving the economy the main platform of its campaign as well as promising to clean up government.

In the speech, the president said that "my government ... will be predictable, transparent and fair" and "was committed to providing a clean and efficient administration focused on delivery".

The government would "make every effort" to fulfil its pre-election promise to bring in a new general sales tax and would also "embark on rationalisation and simplification of the tax regime" to make it less "adverserial", Mukherjee said.

Indian PM Modi to meet Obama in September: reports

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Washington for his first meeting with President Barack Obama in September, media reports said Thursday, as the two leaders look to re-build strained ties.

Modi, who assumed office last month after a landslide election victory, has accepted the invitation from Obama for discussions and the dates for the meeting were being finalised, the Times of India newspaper said.

The Hindustan Times said the Indian side had asked for the meeting to be held on September 26, around the time of Modi´s maiden address at the UN General Assembly. "All pending bilateral issues will be discussed in the one-day meeting as Modi is keen to push the relationship forward for its economic returns for India," the English-language daily said, quoting sources.

The election of the Hindu nationalist Modi, 63, posed a headache for the United states which refused him a visa in 2005 when he was chief minister of Gujarat.

The refusal stemmed from claims he turned a blind eye to anti-Muslim riots in the western state three years earlier that killed some 1,000 people. Modi denies the allegations.

A senior official in the Indian foreign ministry refused to comment on the reports about the meeting in Washington but said a press statement was likely to be issued later in the day.

Relations between Washington and New Delhi were thrown into crisis by the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York on charges of breaking visa laws by underpaying her maid last December.

The episode, which drew a furious reaction from New Delhi, was a blow to efforts to build a strategic partnership between the world´s biggest democracies who both view China´s rise with suspicion.

Modi has displayed no rancour publicly about the visa ban by Washington, telling an interviewer before his election that foreign relations "should not and cannot be influenced by incidents related to individuals".

His top campaign promise has been on the economy, and he courted Western investors in Gujarat even while governments shunned him.

Modi didn’t hand over any charge sheet, says Sartaj

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had not been presented any charge sheet by his Indian counterpart during the meeting in New Delhi, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz stated categorically on Wednesday.
He discussed Kashmir issue during his meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. He brushed aside criticism that Nawaz Sharif did not meet the Kashmiri leaders of Hurriyat, who anyway were not in New Delhi, and that the premier had omitted the ‘K’ word in his statement before leaving Delhi.

On his return from New Delhi, Sartaj Aziz felt the need to take the media into confidence because of front page media reports that Modi had read the riot act to Nawaz Sharif and that he also presented a ‘charge sheet’ to Nawaz.

“The purpose of meeting with the Hurriyat leaders is not mere formality. When there are discussions on Kashmir we take their views. This time there was nothing substantive on Kashmir on the agenda. However, it was raised during the talks. When the prime minister and I point out that all issues of mutual concern were raised, then Kashmir is part of that concern,” he said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi held a one-on-one meeting on Tuesday in New Delhi after delegation level talks in which issues of concern to both sides were discussed, including the disputes that have so far hampered advancement of bilateral relations.

“The delegation level meeting and the 50-minute one-on-one meeting were polite and firm diplomacy where there was sincerity, warmth and determination to move forward. There was no ‘charge sheet’ rather it was clear that both sides were of the view that confrontation should be converted into meaningful cooperation,” explained Sartaj Aziz in a meeting with the media at the Foreign Office.

Added to this was the first press conference of Indian minister external affairs Sushma Swaraj who stated, “The voice of talks gets lost in the sound of bomb blasts. That is why bomb blasts should stop so that we can talk and our voices can be heard. Talks will get subdued under the din of bomb blasts. He (Modi) conveyed it to Sharif in these many words.”

Sartaj Aziz did not shy away from the fact that concerns about terrorism by both prime ministers found their way to the table.“As you all are aware, all aspects of terrorism have been discussed at different levels in our region. We believe that such issues can be handled only through constant interaction between the concerned authorities of the two countries,” Sartaj Aziz explained while reading from a prepared text.

However, he said the issue of terrorism and other outstanding issues were discussed in a cordial atmosphere, “where both the sides expressed their views on all issues of common concern. There was clear recognition of each other’s concerns and the need for mechanisms to address them”.

While responding to queries, Sartaj Aziz pleaded for patience over all outstanding issues, saying one had to understand that it was Modi’s first day in office, theirs was a ‘ceremonious’ meeting despite which he went into a lengthy meeting with Nawaz Sharif.

“Both agreed that this was an opportunity for beginning of new ties and a new page in our relations. This time around was also different because both the prime ministers have full mandates unlike the last time when Vajpayee had one year left. Both sides have economic progress on their agenda. It is also different from other Indo-Pak governments because we mean it when we say if there is no peace there is no progress,” said Sartaj Aziz sounding an optimistic note.

If Nawaz Sharif did not mention Kashmir in his statement, Wednesday saw Modi beginning the process to abrogate Article 370 that is said to legally bind the disputed Himalayan state with India.

To another query, Sartaj Aziz said that the issue of the Mumbai attacks raised by Modi had nothing new.

“For the last five years the Indian government has talked about the Mumbai attacks and asked us to expedite the trial process so justice can be met. Our response has been that it is an ongoing process. No assurances were asked for in this regard and none were given,” he said.

The issue of terrorism was raised by both sides but unlike what is being said in the media it was done by both in a very civilised tone, with Nawaz Sharif suggesting mechanisms to look into different aspects of the issue and what kind of formation is to be set up.

Sartaj Aziz said the Lahore Declaration which is historical and signed under a BJP government was raised by Nawaz Sharif.“We said that it was a good starting point and Modi said his government had respect for Vajpayee. The declaration states that there will be no interference in each other’s affairs, and efforts will be intensified regarding different issues including Jammu and Kashmir.

The PM’s adviser hinted that the structure of the composite dialogue might undergo a change.“The composite dialogue started in 1998 and covers eight main issues facing Pakistan and India. But so much time has passed and many incidents have occurred; it is the job of the foreign secretaries to decide on how to move forward,” he said.

“Previously it had eight subjects but since then a lot of changes have taken place. The prime minister said there is need for this to be reviewed to take the process further. The agenda will be set by the two foreign secretaries but we have to give them time as their government came into being only yesterday,” Sartaj Aziz said.

On MFN, there has been a lot of progress and some loose ends like non-tariff issues have to be tied up through meetings of the commerce secretaries and the commerce ministers.“Pakistan has a clear stance on Kashmir as without its resolution the objective of long-lasting peace could not be achieved,” he said.

Modi in police trouble as India’s poll nears climax

AHMEDABAD, India: Police opened an investigation against Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, tipped to be India’s next prime minister, after he flashed his party’s symbol and made a speech in a violation of election rules after he cast his ballot.
About 139 million people were registered to vote in the eighth round of a marathon contest pitting Modi against the ruling Congress party, led by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Results are due on May 16. Voting in his home state of Gujarat, the opposition leader, whose pro-business policies have delighted investors, brandished a white cut-out of a lotus flower and made a scathing speech against Congress heavyweights - taunting them for shying away from the fight.

“The prime minister himself is not fighting the election. The finance minister is not fighting the election. All its top leaders have run away,” Modi said to cheers from a crowd at the polling station in the state’s largest city, Ahmedabad.

He snapped a “selfie” of the lotus and his finger painted with ink after voting, and posted the photograph on Twitter. Election rules say politicians must not make public rallies or use media to “display to the public any election matter” within 48 hours of an election.

Gujarat police chief PC Thakur said a preliminary case was launched against Modi at the request of the election commission. “The Ahmedabad crime branch has begun investigations,” he said. The maximum punishment for violating the rule is two years imprisonment, although Modi is unlikely to be charged.

Politicians in India routinely face criminal cases that rarely reach the courts. Standing in both the Gujarat town of Vadodara and the holy city of Varanasi, Modi has shaken up Indian politics with a campaign that has combined a social media blitz with up to five rallies a day. The 63-year-old has even appeared as a hologram campaigning in remote hamlets. Turnout in Gujarat was 62 percent on Wednesday, according to the election commission, a sharp rise on the state’s tally of 48 percent in the last general election in 2009.

Modi says Rahul Gandhi's gaffes funnier than Kapil Sharma show

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rahul Gandhi's gaffes should be telecast on TV instead of comedian Kapil Sharma's show, Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, said on Sunday, mocking the Congress vice-president's elections speeches, which, he said, were full of gaffes.    

"I feel the TV serial of Kapil Sharma [Comedy Nights With Kapil] will shut down in a few days. TV people should gather these Rahul Gandhi [YouTube] videos and show them and the entire tiredness of the elections will go away. You won't have to do anything [else] for entertainment," Modi said at a rally in support of party candidate Uma Bharti in Jhansi in UP.

Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister, recalled Rahul Gandhi's three speeches, saying they had glaring gaffes.

"This morning I saw my friend, Rahul Gandhi's statement, and I laughed so much that my stomach hurt. What are they saying? Will such people run the Congress, leave the nation aside?" Modi said.

"He [Rahul Gandhi] was in Gujarat yesterday and these days, mother-son have developed a lot of love for Gujarat. They praise Gujarat day and night. Mother speaks somewhere, son speaks somewhere else. Mother speaks one lie and son speaks two lies," he said.

"He [Rahul Gandhi] said: 'Tell me Modi-ji, there is no lokayukta in Gujarat and the day lokayukta comes, this chowkidar [security guard] will go to jail'," Modi said, referring to the Congress vice-president's speech in Bhavnagar on Saturday.

Rahul bhaiya, slow down. Why are you spreading such lies? I will tell you. Rahul bhaiya, those who are writing your speeches, they are bent on destroying you, it seems. And your mother's adviser, with whom you do not get along, may be he is providing you with such false speeches," Modi said, amid cheering from the crowd.

"You should know. There is a lokayukta is Gujarat. Not only this, the same lokayukta has given a probe report which was tabled in the last Assembly session. In that report, a minister at the Centre, whose father was once the chief minister of Gujarat and who stole from the forests, ate up forest wood, the current lokayukta has held that Mr Amarsinh Chaudhary guilty. Amarsinh-ji has passed away and that is why we did not want to do politics and that is why we were silent. We never mentioned it. We respect departed souls. And you lie like this?" he said.  

Referring to another Rahul Gandhi speech, Modi said: "Gujarat's population is six crore, but Rahul baba said there are 27,000 crore jobs lying vacant in Gujarat! ... You have exceeded world's population!"

"The other thing he said, I can't repeat. Okay, I will tell half of it. It's on YouTube. I have said that there has been a White Revolution in Gujarat and the state now provides milk to other states. On this, he [Rahul Gandhi] said something on which I laughed as well as felt ashamed. Can there be leaders like this?" Modi said.

"He said a third thing. This is also on YouTube. He is the Congress' PM candidate and look at his intelligence: He said in Gujarat, two in one children are malnourished. Did you understand?" Modi said.

"I don't know what kind of fate I have that I have to face such people. If there was someone wise, we could have had a conversation," he said.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/modi-says-rahuls-gaffes-funnier-than-kapil-sharma-show/1/357837.html

Indian PM says Modi making unrealistic promises

UTTAR PRADESH: India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, was making unrealistic promises to the people.

Addressing a public rally in northern town of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, Singh said the BJP campaign was centered only on Modi.


"Their election campaign is centered on a person. He is making tall claims, which has no basis, and he is making such promises that cannot be fulfilled."

Singh also said the BJP's manifesto was divisive. "If you look at the BJP manifesto, you would realise that there is no difference in their old agendas to divide the society."

The election to choose members to the 543-seat Lok Sabha, or House of the People, is spread over five weeks in nine separate phases and ends on May 12. Results would be announced on May 16.

Modi seeks to reassure Muslims to respect their traditions

NEW DELHI: Hindu hardliner Narendra Modi, tipped to be India’s next premier, sought on Saturday to reassure the nation’s big Muslim minority he would respect their traditions, as 14 people died in the worst violence since the start of a marathon election.

Modi´s statements in a rare television interview to be aired late on Saturday came as police confirmed Maoist rebels in insurgency-hit central India killed 14 people, most of them involved in helping stage the general election.

Protection of majority Hindu India’s secular status has surfaced as a key election issue with critics worrying Modi´s Hindu nationalist rhetoric could stoke religious tensions in a country where 13 percent of the 1.2-billion populations is Muslim.

In interview exerpts on India TV’s website, Modi, leading the campaign of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said he refused to don a skullcap presented to him by a Muslim cleric three years ago because he did not want “to hoodwink people”.

“I believe in respecting traditions of all religions. But at the same time, I have to respect my own tradition as well although I respect all traditions. I can’t hoodwink people by wearing such skullcaps.”

But I believe in taking action against those who show disrespect to other’s caps,” said Modi, chief minister of the western of Gujarat. Many Muslims wear skullcaps.

Modi, whose state has thrived economically under his leadership, paints himself as a pro-business reformist who alone can revive the economy of the world’s largest democracy and opinion polls favour the BJP to win the elections, ousting the scandal-tainted Congress party after a decade of rule.

But Modi remains a divisive figure after being accused of failing to swiftly curb 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in which at least 1,000 people, died.

Modi has repeatedly rejected opponents´ accusations of wrongdoing and investigations have never found grounds to charge him.

Meanwhile, two landmine blasts left 14 dead in the impoverished Chhattisgarh state, marking the deadliest violence since polling began last Monday and highlighting security issues around the election. Seven polling officials died when Maoists blew up their bus, senior police officer Gurjinder Pal Singh told AFP.

Five security men carrying out an election safety sweep who hitched a ride in an ambulance were killed in another attack. The ambulance driver and a paramedic were also killed.

Meanwhile, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, setting the stage for a high-profile, three-cornered contest in the family fortress Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi’s mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi was by his side when he filed the nomination papers at the Amethi collectorate this afternoon.

India orders probe into 'inflammatory' remarks by Modi aide

NEW DELHI: India's election authorities on Friday ordered police to investigate remarks by a top aide of prime ministerial frontrunner Narendra Modi that were allegedly aimed at inciting communal violence.

The powerful Election Commission also barred Modi's aide Amit Shah, 50, from holding public rallies, meetings and roadshows to keep a check on what it called his "undesirable activities".

Shah has been leading the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) general election campaign in the northern Uttar Pradesh state where Hindus dominate but there is a sizeable Muslim community.

The close confidante to Modi has been in the eye of a public storm after he reportedly told several Hindu leaders last week to seek "revenge" at the ballot box.

He was speaking in a part of the state torn apart by deadly Hindu-Muslim violence last September that left some 50 people dead.

The commission also ordered a similar probe into statements by Azam Khan, a leader of the regional Samajwadi Party which is the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh.

Khan reportedly used derogatory language against Modi, who is widely tipped to become India's next prime minister after the marathon elections wind up in May.

The commission said the alleged "provocative" and "highly inflammatory" statements of the two political leaders were "being made with deliberate and malicious intention" of disturbing peace and harmony in the country.

It also criticised the state authorities for not acting against the leaders with the "required alacrity".

The national election campaign, which has largely focused on development, has taken a religious tone in recent days.

Modi, 63, has accused ruling Congress president Sonia Gandhi of failing to deliver on pledges to improve the lives of Muslims, who at 13 per cent of the population are the largest religious minority in India.

Modi, chief minister of the prosperous western state of Gujarat, is reviled by many of India's Muslims due to religious riots that swept the state in 2002 when he began his rule.

At least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed but Modi has denied critics' claims he was slow to curb the bloodshed.

Opinion polls suggest Modi is set to lead the BJP to power after a decade in the political wilderness. He has been campaigning on a promise of reviving the country's battered economy and creating jobs.

The multi-phase elections, which started April 7, will close May 12 with results due four days later.

BJP’s Modi files papers as election enters second stage

VADODARA: Indian election frontrunner Narendra Modi waved to thousands of cheering supporters as he filed his papers to stand in the country's mammoth six-week election which entered its second of nine phases on Wednesday.

Modi, a hardline Hindu nationalist widely tipped to emerge as prime minister when results are published on May 16, is standing from the Vadodara constituency in the western state of Gujarat.

Making a rare public outing in a jeep, Modi waved at crowds waving the saffron-coloured flag of his Bharatiya Janata Party, which is forecast to inflict a crushing defeat on the ruling Congress party.

In the remote northeast of the country meanwhile, voting began amid tight security in constituencies in four insurgency-wracked states close to the disputed border with China.

Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland are the second wave of voting in the election process which has been staggered to allow security forces to re-deploy in between stages.

Voters flocked early to polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh, an eastern stretch of the Himalayas that China claims as its own, despite pouring rain overnight, the Press Trust of India reported.

During campaigning in February in the area, the scene of a 1962 war between India and China, Modi had warned Beijing to shed its "expansionist mindset".

Hundreds of extra security forces have been deployed in neighbouring and underdeveloped Nagaland, where rebels from tribal groups have waged a decades-long campaign for more rights.

Security was also tight in nearby Meghalaya, where ethnic and separatist groups have also long fought against the state, and the border with Bangladesh has been closed, Press Trust of India news agency said.

Six seats are up for grabs on Wednesday ahead of the third phase of voting Thursday which will be by far the biggest to date with constituencies in 14 states including the capital region heading to the ballot box.

The opposition BJP is expected to sweep to power in the world's biggest election at a time of low economic growth as well as anger over corruption and rising food prices.

As well as a Vadodara, Modi is also set to stand from a second seat in the northern holy Hindu city of Varanasi on the river Ganges in the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh.

India poll favourite 'bachelor' Narendra Modi admits he is married

AHMEDABAD: Election frontrunner Narendra Modi has acknowledged for the first time that he is married, solving one of the biggest mysteries about the private life of the man tipped to be India's next prime minister.

The 63-year-old is routinely described as a bachelor and is thought to have lived alone in his adult life having come through the ranks of a grassroots Hindu nationalist organisation in which celibacy is expected.

Media reports have described how he walked away from a marriage arranged by his parents when he was a child, but this has never been confirmed by the man himself who has portrayed his single status as a virtue while campaigning.

In an affidavit on Wednesday as he filed his papers to stand as a member of parliament from the Vadadora constituency in western Gujarat state, he acknowledged that he had a wife.

In the column of the affidavit to mention spouses, the chief minister of Gujarat wrote the name "Jashodaben", but he states elsewhere in the filing that he had "no information" about her.

Reports have consistently stated that he was betrothed to a 62-year-old now-retired school teacher called Jashodaben, who gave an interview in February in which she said she didn't "feel bad" about not being part of Modi's life.

The relationship is believed to have never been consummated.

Modi, consistently ahead in the polls, told a biographer recently that he "actually enjoys loneliness" and has said that because he has no children he is more likely to be a clean politician.

"I've no familial ties. Who would I ever try to benefit through corruption?" he told a recent rally.

He has contested four times for seats in Gujarat's regional assembly but has never stated his marital status on the affidavits.

India's mammoth national election, which entered the third of nine phases on Thursday with almost a fifth of the 543 seats in the parliament up for grabs, has been described as a "battle of the bachelors".

Modi's main opponent Rahul Gandhi from the ruling Congress party, which has been in power nationally since 2004, is single.

Other parts of Modi's personal story remain unclear, particularly a period as a young man when he is believed to have wandered in the Himalayas on a journey of spiritual discovery.

Modi calls Kejriwal, AK Anthony ‘Pakistan Agents’

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate in the upcoming Indian elections, Narendra Modi hit out at his opponents during a party meeting.

Modi targeted Defence Minister AK Anthony and former Chief Minister Delhi Arvin Kejriwal referring to them as “agents of Pakistan and enemies of India.”

According to Modi, Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party website had shown Kashmir in Pakistan. Modi accused Ak Anthony of being a Pakistani agent over statements the defence minister had made in the Indian parliament last year.

 

India far-right party supports Modi for PM

NEW DELHI: A far-right wing Indian party on Sunday publicly threw its support behind opposition Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi for prime minister ahead of next month's general elections.
The firebrand head of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Raj Thackeray, said he would back Modi, while announcing that his party would also field a handful of candidates for the elections.
"We will support Narendra Modi for the prime minister's post. Modi should become the prime minister of the country," 45-year-old Thackeray told supporters in Mumbai where his party is based.
The MNS, a rival offshoot of the hardline right-wing Shiv Sena, has a record of inciting riots and other violence mainly in its opposition of migrants in western Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital.
Thousands of poor migrants from mostly northern India flock to the financial hub in search of jobs, which the MNS sees as a threat to the local Marathi workforce.
The MNS champions the culture, language and rights of regional Maharathis over so-called "outsiders".
Despite the support, it is unclear whether Thackeray's move will help Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is tipped by opinion polls to defeat the ruling Congress party at polls starting on April 7.
According to reports, a BJP leader urged Thackeray days earlier not to field MNS candidates to preserve the BJP's ties with traditional ally Shiv Sena and avoid splitting the vote against Congress in Maharashtra.
After Shiv Sena took power in the Maharashtra government in 1994, it changed the city's name from Bombay to Mumbai to underline the region's Marathi identity in a move that attracted worldwide attention.
Modi, the chief minister of western Gujarat state since 2001, is seen as a pro-business reformer. But his Hindu nationalism and links to deadly anti-Muslim riots in 2002 in his home state have worried religious minorities and defenders of India's officially secular character.