Mumbai: As Raj Thackeray provoked Mumbaikars to join his protest against train services in Mumbai following the Elphinstone stampede, furious city residents came to the streets in large numbers. Hundreds of MNS followers gather at the Metro cinema at Marine lines on Thursday morning.
hoardings and banners against the much-hyped Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project have been put up at various places.
Soon after the stampede in Mumbai, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday gave threat for not allowing the construction of bullet train infrastructure in Mumbai until the existing rail network was fixed.
Thackeray came out all guns blazing against the BJP-led central and state government, saying it was false to say rains caused the death of 23 people. "They (Railway) say it happened due to the rains... It is not the first time that it rained in Mumbai," he said.
"People are dying here, after falling off the trains. Small children have to cross railway tracks on their foot as there are no bridges. Women do not have restrooms at the stations. What is the government doing? Where are all these services? Mumbaikars are dying here day by day and our government wants bullet trains. We will not let any bullet trains here. Give us these conveniences first. Spend the money on Mumbaikars," an annoyed woman protester said at the gathering.
Meanwhile, the rally has already caused for gigantic traffic jam in South Mumbai. While the police did not provide a formal permission to the protest,
"We had applied to the police seeking permission. But we haven't yet been granted permission. We have told the police that we will stand for with laws. This is an eruption of the common Mumbaikar. We are only leading it," said Sandeep Deshpande, MNS leader.
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