Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has planned a rally on Thursday morning at around 11 am from Metro theatre to Churchgate to protest against the poor railway infrastructure in Mumbai. Thackeray has said that he will also participate in this rally. This rally was planned after the horrible
stampede at Elphinstone Road station
in the city, which killed 23 people and injured 38 others. A day after the stampede, Thackeray
had said
that stampedes will continue to occur in Mumbai till hordes of migrants keep pouring into the city. [caption id=“attachment_4111601” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
File image of Raj Thackeray. Reuters[/caption] He had also 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. The MNS leader, who has in the past stoked controversies with his anti-migrant rhetoric, had told reporters at his residence Krishna Kunj in Dadar, “There has been a collapse of infrastructure facilities due to the migrant influx from other regions.” Saying that he travelled in Mumbai suburban trains for two years while studying arts at the Sir JJ College, Thackeray had said, “What you call the famed spirit of Mumbai which overcomes such tragedies is actually hopelessness in face of such calamities.” Thackeray had said his party leader Bala Nandgaonkar had written to authorities for building a new bridge at the stampede spot but no action was taken on his suggestion and instead Nandgaonkar was told to approach the MMRDA. The Kakodkar committee had proposed an expenditure of Rs one lakh crore to improve the railway infrastructure but nobody acted on it, he had claimed. Instead, the bullet train project, costing the same amount, is being implemented, he had said. “Does one need bullet train or improvement of basic rail infrastructure?” he had said. Thackeray had also targeted BJP MP Kirit Somaiya for his silence on the “crumbling” rail services. “When Congress was in power, this man used to go about measuring the height of platforms. Where is he now when such tragedies are happening in the BJP-led regime,” the MNS chief had alleged. He had claimed he did not visit the stampede spot or the hospital as “politicians are there at such spots only for television cameras”. “They (railway) say the stampede happened due to rains. It is not the first time that it rained in Mumbai,” he had said. “A list of issues related to Mumbai locals will be given to railway officials on October 5 with a deadline. If things don’t get better, we will see,” he had added. He had said a deadline would also be given to throw out illegal hawkers from station bridges and if it is not complied with then the party would act on its own. With inputs from agencies
Raj Thackeray's rally against Railways LIVE: MNS chief asks govt to clear mess, threatens next rally 'won't be peaceful'
Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has planned a rally on Thursday morning at around 11 am from Metro theatre to Churchgate.
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Raj Thackeray held a massive rally outside Western Railway headquarters in Churchgate, Mumbai
Govt focussing on trivial issues like demonetisation, GST: Thackeray
“The central government is wasting its time with ’trivial issues’ like demonetisation, GST, Swacch Bharat, yoga, etc. In doing so, it’s ignoring real issues. But if it continues doing this, I won’t remain peaceful,” MNS chief Raj Thackeray said, winding up his speech.
Raj Thackeray concludes speech by attacking central govt
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has wound up his speech against the Railways by targeting the central government on a variety of topics.
MNS gives Railways 15-day deadline to clear all foot-over bridges of hawkers
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has given the Railways 15 days to evict all hawkers from foot-over bridges across Mumbai’s suburban rail network. “If the Central and Western Railways don’t clear all foot-over bridges of hawkers, we will do it ourselves,” Raj Thackeray said.
Bullet Train doesn’t serve Mumbai’s needs, says Raj Thackeray
“I was the first person to oppose the Bullet Train. It doesn’t serve the needs of thousands of Mumbai’s commuters, and is just a gift for a handful of Gujaratis,” MNS chief Raj Thackeray has said
Safety levels in Mumbai unacceptable: Raj Thackeray
“When people in Mumbai leave their homes in the morning, it’s not even certain whether they will return home or not. This is unacceptable,” MNS chief Raj Thackeray said while addressing a rally.
Watch: Raj Thackeray addresses a rally outside Western Railway headquarters at Churchgate
‘Mumbai commuters’ problems unresolved for decades’
“Problems of railway commuters in Mumbai have persisted for decades, and there are still no answers,” says Raj Thackeray, MNS chief, lambasting the government for their apathy.
Raj Thackeray joins protest
At MNS rally, hoarding shows cartoon where Raj Thackeray is cracking a whip on kneeling Narendra Modi, Devendra Fadnavis and Amit Shah
What is the Centre doing for us? asks MNS
“You are talking about bullet trains but first, make sure you give basic facilities to rail commuters,” Avinash Abhyankar, MNS spokesperson, said.
“While people are dying, you spending over Rs 1 lakh for bullet trains…Maharashtra is providing 33 percent of the national revenue to the Centre. But what is the Centre doing for us?” he added.
Watch our LIVE coverage of the rally here:
Western Railway may delay renaming of Elphinstone Road station
According to Free Press Journal , in the wake of the stampede which killed 23 people, Western Railway authorities are likely to delay the renaming of Elphinstone Road station to Prabhadevi.
The renaming of the station was supposed to take place last week.
“This is a very disturbing time but now there is a fear about how the public might react to this name change given the tragic situation that we saw on Friday, so it has been kept on the back-burner for now,” the report quoted a Western Railway official as saying.
More visuals from the rally at Metro cinema:
Actor Shivaji Satam says he supports Raj Thackeray’s rally
The actor said the rally was not being held for any political reasons.
Image courtesy: Sanjay Sawant
Visuals of protest at Metro cinema in Mumbai
Image courtesy: Sanjay Sawant
MNS slams govt for denying permission to protest
According to Loksatta, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande questioned the democracy in which one could not get permission to conduct rally. “Even the British would grant permission to hold protest, but this government won’t,” he was quoted as saying in a tweet by Loksatta.
Raj Thackeray to protest ‘politely’
According to Free Press Journal , Thackeray is expected to protest politely with folded hands, unlike what MNS is known for. Tight police security has been arranged at Churchgate station, where the morcha will take place. Since the MNS chief had appealed to his followers to join him in the rally, in a Facebook post, his supporters are likely to show up in huge numbers.
Thackeray’s Facebook post on the rally
MNS has planned a rally on Thursday morning from Metro theatre to Churchgate to protest against the poor quality of railway infrastructure in Mumbai, days after a stampede at the Elphinstone Road station killed 23 people and injured 38 others. Over 50,000 supporters are expected to attend. It will be interesting to see what effect Thackeray’s rally on Thursday has on Mumbai, especially because MNS’ political influence has been dwindling in the city.
Read hereMumbai Police denies permission to MNS for rally