A day after the Elphinstone Road stampede that claimed 23 lives, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has said his party will not allow the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project in the city.
“Not even a foundation stone will be allowed for this project in Mumbai. [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi can run the train in Gujarat. If the Centre tries to force the project on us, it will be met with an equally strong reaction,” Mr. Thackeray told reporters at his residence, Krishna Kunj. He blamed the influx of people from other States for the population explosion in the city. This, he said, is creating immense pressure on infrastructure and resulting in disasters.
He asked hawkers not to do business near stations, while announcing a march on October 5 to protest the poor rail infrastructure in the city. “The last time we took out a rally, the police commissioner was shunted out. Let’s see what happens this time. There are always reactions to such morchas.”
The Shiv Sena said the city shouldn’t think of bullet trains till the existing infrastructure is upgraded.