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Raj Thackeray leads protest march to Churchgate

Meets WR authority and demands fast-tracked improvement of commuter facilities across city's stations

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Raj Thackeray (circled) is thronged by party workers on Thursday at Churchgate after he led a protest march against the alleged poor infrastructure at railway stations across the city
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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray led a march from Metro Cinema Junction to the Western Railway headquarters at Churchgate on Thursday afternoon to protest against the stampede at Elphinstone Road railway station which led to the death of 23 people. On reaching the headquarters, he led a delegation that met Railway officials, and submitted a memorandum demanding a detailed plan for the improvement and widening of all foot-overbridges in Mumbai within the next three months.

After the meeting with Railway officials, Thackeray addressed party workers outside Churchgate station. He said that he had also given an ultimatum of 15 days to the Central and Western Railway for removing all hawkers encroaching foot-overbridges at railway stations across the city. He also warned that while Thursday's protest was peaceful, the next protest may not be so if the demands were not met. He said that MNS activists would forcibly remove hawkers if the Railways failed to act.

In his written memorandum, Thackeray has also made a mention of the absence of public toilets at both ends of all stations in the city. Thackeray told the Railway officials that he will meet them again after three months and review whether they have acted on his suggestions and demands.

While the protest march began with around 10,000 protesters, the numbers dropped significantly by the time the march reached Churchgate station. In his 25 minute address to supporters, Thackeray attacked the Union Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "betraying" the people of the country. Criticising the bullet train project, he said that it was aimed at benefiting only a few Gujaratis in Mumbai and Gujarat for which the entire country will have to repay the loan. He added that he has demanded for an increase in special local trains for women.

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