India

Bullet train project was a dream of Modi, not of the common man, says Shiv Sena

Mumbai:  Shiv Sena on Thursday said that the bullet train project was not a dream of the common man but that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Sena, in an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, sought to know if the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed train project really fits into the needs of the country.

The criticism came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe laid the foundation stone of India’s first bullet train project in Ahmedabad.

“We are getting a bullet train without asking for it. We do not know exactly which problem will this problem solve,” the Sena said.

“(Former Prime Minister) Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru laid the foundation of several projects, from Bhakra Nangal to Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, to ensure the country advances in technology and science. All these projects were needed for the nation. Does this bullet train fit into the needs of the country?” the ally asked.

Out of the estimated Rs 1,08,000 crore cost of the project, at least Rs 30,000 crore would have to be shelled out by the Maharashtra government, it said.

“The demands for loan waiver of farmers were being made since many years. Nobody sought a bullet train. Modi’s dream is not of the common man but of the rich and industrialists,” said the Sena, which is an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre.

Those saying that this project will create employment were speaking false, because Japan will bring everything required, right from the machinery to labourers from there for the project, the editorial said.

Click to comment
To Top