The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have criticised a statement by Samajwadi Party Member of the Legislative Assembly, Abu Azmi, who asked why activists who protest for animal rights do not come on the streets to draw attention to the cruel conditions on Mumbai's suburban trains.
Azmi, MLA from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar, was reacting to the deaths of commuters travelling in an overcrowded train on Monday near Mumbra. Saying that he will ask Samajwadi Party Members of Parliament to take up the cause of Mumbai's train commuters, Azmi asked, "The Bajrang Dal obstruct vehicles carrying animals by claiming that they are being transported in crowded conditions. Why do they not come on the streets to protest against people travelling in crowded trains?"
In their reply to the MLA's VHP spokesperson and joint secretary, Maharashtra and Goa, Shriraj Nair, said that everyone is mourning the victims of the accident. "Azmi should take up pressing issues facing his community, like high birth rates, education, and progress. Instead, he is defending cow smugglers using the sad incident in Mumbra. He should know that cow slaughter is prohibited by law in most parts of the country. We will continue to stop cow smugglers," said Nair.
"We pray for the souls of those who died. We all want traveling conditions on Mumbai's suburban trains to improve; all of us travel by these trains. But Azmi is comparing train commuters and cow smugglers," Nair added.
Meanwhile, Azmi and Yusuf Abrahani, a former Congress leader who recently joined the Samajwadi Party, met with senior officials of the Central Railway in Tuesday to raise issues surrounding the accident at Mumbra railway station. "We demanded accountability and justice for those who lost their lives. Our party has been the only voice addressing this tragedy, and we made it clear that if our concerns are not addressed, we are prepared to protest. We will continue to fight for the rights and safety of the people," said Abrahani.
