Mumbai: Maharashtra Navinirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a liar, termed Railway Minister Piyush Goyal a "useless person" and vowed to block the construction of bullet train in Maharashtra unless the suburban rail network is upgraded.
“The government has failed in maintaining the existing set-up of the railways, and is launching new projects. I have not seen a liar such as our prime minister in my entire life. He is boasting about the bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai,” 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,” he said.
"If the government tries to push it through, the MNS will oppose it in its own style", he warned.
Raj Thackeray also claimed that Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu was replaced by Piyush Goyal only to push through the Bullet Train project.
"This Goyal is useless, Prabhu was good," he said.
Thackeray also took a pot-shot at the BJP government for having no money to upgrade infrastructure, but planning to run a bullet train that costs Rs 1.1 lakh crore.
“The Kakodkar committee suggested that Rs 1 lakh crore be spent between 2012 and 2017 on the upgradation of bridges and railway tracks, but the previous and incumbent governments have put the report in cold storage,” he alleged.
He also criticised the Shiv Sena, calling it hypocritical for having ministers in the government when it supposedly disapproves of the way the government is functioning.
Raj Thackeray’s outbursts came a day after 22 people died in a stampedeon a railway bridge at Elphinstone Road station in the city.
Raj Thackeray also linked the Friday's incident with migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other parts of the country working in Mumbai.
"There has been a collapse of infrastructure facilities due to the migrant influx from other regions," he said.
He also announced a protest march against the railway administration at the western line’s railway headquarters in Churchgate on October 5.
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