Forget terrorists, Railways is killing us: Raj Thackeray on Mumbai stampede

Not a single brick will be allowed to be placed for bullet train in Mumbai, Raj Thackeray said after Mumbai Stampede

In the aftermath of the stampede which killed 22 commuters on Friday, MNS President Raj Thackeray on Saturday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "liar" and warned that he would not allow the Bullet Train project till all suburban commuters' issues are resolved.

He slammed Indian Railways for killed people. "Why do we need terrorists or enemies like Pakistan? It seems our own Railway is enough to kill people", he said.

"I shall not allow even a brick for the Bullet Train project to be laid. First, resolve all the basic problems of Mumbai commuters. If Modi wants, let him construct it in Gujarat. If they use force, we shall also retaliate," said Thackeray.

Attacking the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he called Modi a "liar" who changed all his statements before and after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"We have never seen a PM who is such a big liar. He made big promises and then dismissed them as 'election jumlas'. How much can a person lie in this fashion?" asked Thackeray.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President claimed that Suresh Prabhu was replaced by Piyush Goyal as the Railway Minister only to push through the Bullet Train project.

"This Goyal is useless, Prabhu was good."

Thackeray announced that he would personally lead a morcha to Churchgate on October 5 to oppose the Bullet Train plans and urged all Mumbaikars to participate in large numbers.

The MNS leader, who has in the past stoked controversies with his anti-migrant rhetoric, 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 J J College here, Thackeray said, "What you call the famed spirit of Mumbai which overcomes such tragedies is actually hopelessness in face of such calamities."

Yesterday, a stampede on a narrow foot overbridge at the Elphinstone railway station during the rush hour had led to deaths of at least 22 people and injuries to 30.