The opposition by farmers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project — the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train — has resurfaced against the backdrop of the ongoing farmers' agitation against agri reform laws.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that he is holding talks with farmers opposing the bullet train, and that he would not use water cannons like the Centre to dissuade them from protesting.
Funded by a soft loan from Japan, the ₹1-trillion project having a track-length of 508.17 km, from the Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, to Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, is likely to get stuck in political wrangling. Interestingly, the Modi government is keen to complete the project by August 15, 2022, when India marks 75 years of Independence.
“The bullet train is the Central government’s project. The State has given probably the costliest land in the Bandra-Kurla Complex for the bullet train. The project is facing opposition and I have met farmers (opposing the project),” said Thackeray recently. He said that farmers opposing any project must not be treated badly as it is against democratic practices.
Thackeray has brought up the farmers’ stance on the bullet train as the Opposition parties in the State are galvanising support for a farmers’ agitation New Delhi.
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Of the 508.17-km-long bullet train corridor, 155.76 km is in Maharashtra, 348.04 km in Gujarat and 4.3 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. When Thackeray took charge as Chief Minister last year he had made it clear that the bullet train project was not on the priority list of the State government. He had likened the train project to a ‘white elephant’, saying a decision on it would be taken after he was convinced it would boost industrial development in the State.
Sena insiders say the Chief Minister is trying to put the BJP in a tight spot by highlighting farmers’ opposition to the bullet train even as the Centre is struggling to pacify agitating farmers in Delhi. Party seniors say he is trying to put pressure on the Centre to clear the way for a metro car shed project at Kanjurmarg. Thackeray has relocated the Aarey metro car shed project to Kanjurmarg but the Centre has claimed ownership of the land there.