Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief on Saturday attacked the BJP government at the centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the recent tragic incident of the stampede that happened on 29 Sep in Mumbai.
Giving his statement during a press conference, the angry Raj Thackeray, said that people will continue to die like insects, but the situation will never change, it only the government that keeps changing. He also said that all those who are visiting the site is only to show off and gather attention, nobody is actually going to take any action regarding this.
These comments of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief comes just a day after the tragic accident when 22 people lost their lives in a stampede at Elphinstone railway station, Mumbai.
Blurting put his anger Thackeray said that when the names of the Railway Stations are changed, everyone is present to attend the ceremony, but what happens with changing the names only? He questioned that will the changing of the names of the stations will change the conditions and facilities also?
He informed that on 5 Oct the Sena will be holding a protest from the Western Railway head office near Churchgate. He said that he will be submitting all the documents stating the real and current conditions of all the local railway stations in Mumbai.
Attacking the Modi government the Sena chief warned that “not a single brick will be allowed to be placed for the bullet train in Mumbai until the infrastructure of local railways was made better.” He said that if the Prime Minister wants, he can start the project in Gujarat, but he will not be allowed to do anything in Mumbai.
Thackeray, recalling the old days said that even he travelled in the locals when he was studying arts at the Sir JJ College. He exclaimed that “what you call the famed spirit of Mumbai which overcomes such tragedies, is actually hopelessness in face of such calamities.”
He also informed that his party had well in advance warned the authorities that the infrastructures need reconstructions, but no one paid a heed. Thackeray said his party leader Bala Nandgaonkar had written a letter to the authorities for building a new bridge at Elphinstone railway station, but nobody took any actions, instead, he was asked to go meet the MMRDA.
The Sena chief further informed that the party had also proposed an expenditure of Rs one lakh crore to improve the railway infrastructure, but like always no one paid attention. Criticising the bullet train project initiated by Modi, Thackeray said that in place of implementing the improvement plan for the railway infrastructure, the project of bullet train was initiated which is also almost of the same cost.
Concluding the conference Raj Thackeray questioned only one thing “Does one need bullet train or improvement of basic rail infrastructure?”