The Shiv Sena, a constituent of the ruling NDA at the Centre, on Saturday joined the Opposition parties in demanding the rollback of a steep rail fare hike announced by the Narendra Modi Government, even as the Maharashtra Congress and the NCP announced that their workers would travel ticketless in the coming days, in protest against the train fare hike.
Talking to mediapersons here, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said, “I am of the opinion that the NDA Government should roll back the train fare hike. Alternatively, the Centre should reduce the quantum of hike. Simultaneously, the Centre should give priority to improving facilities to railway passengers”.
Uddhav said that he would speak to the Prime Minister on the need for rolling back the train fare hike.
“I will tell him (Modi) that it is essential that the Centre rolls back the hike. However, if the Centre thinks that the hike is inevitable, then the Modi Government should take immediate steps to improve facilities at the various railway stations across the country. By improving the facilities at the railway stations, the NDA-unlike the UPA — can send across a message to the people that it is not merely interested in increasing the fares, but it also wants to improve facilities at railway stations,” the Sena president.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thackeray announced that he and his party workers would travel ticket-less from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) to Thane railway stations on June 23 (Monday).Addressing a Press conference here, Thackeray said that the Congress workers would also stage demonstrations at all major railway stations in the State on June 25. “As part of our on-going protests, the State Congress will moblise signatures of lakhs of people against the fare hike announced by the NDA Government and submit to the Centre,” he said.
In a related development, the NCP workers staged a protest at the Mumbai CST against the train fare hike.NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said that his party workers would protest against the fare hike by travelling without tickets on suburban trains if fares were not reduced immediately.