Sorry Raj, but WR can't wait

MNS wanted Gujarat Mail to halt for an hour at Dadar yesterday so that Raj and his men could board with ease WR refused so Raj decided to take a flight instead Not so long ago the Central Railway had attached a special firstclass AC bogey to the Vidarbha Express so Raj Thackeray and company could travel conveniently to Nagpur Encouraged by the railways obliging nature the MNS chief came up with another such demand this time for the Western Railway In February this year the Central Railway had attached a special firstclass AC bogey in the Vidarbha Express for Raj and his entourage who were on their way to Nagpur as reported in MiD DAY Rajs name was mentioned in the chart on Gujarat Mail yesterday but he did not board the trainPrior to Rajs Gujarat trip that begins today MNS workers had asked the WR to divert a Gujaratbound train from Bandra to Dadar or halt the Gujarat Mail at Dadar for nearly an hour so he and party members may board the train at their convenience sources said Incidentally Raj lives in DadarBut the railways were less than accommodating this time around Officials snubbed the demands on both counts giving Raj ample reason to take the high road a flight to Ahmedabad this morningMNS workers confirmed meeting with WR officials with their specific demands last weekWe wanted some extra time as our members stay in different parts of the city and we didnt want anybody to miss the train We were actually expecting a positive response as CR had treated us well a few months ago said an MNS workerThe demand for diverting a train was made so Raj may not have to bother coming all the way to Bandra from Dadar where he stays the official addedRailways rebuffSaid a railway official on condition of anonymity Diverting the train to Dadar would have created a host of problems for us and for the passengersu00a0The partys request for halting the Gujarat Mail for an hour at Dadar has also been turned down as it would have disturbed the schedule of other passengersSharat Chandrayan Chief PRO WR confirmed that tickets were booked in Rajs name He has booked the tickets in firstclass AC in the Gujarat Mail but we have not given him any extra bogie or accepted the special demands made by his party Aditya Shirodkar chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Senas student wing Shalini Thackeray the president of the womens wing and Avinash Abhyankar MNS BEST Kamgar Sena chief aboard the Gujarat Mail that stuck to its schedule Some MNS MLAs aboard the train The Gujarat Mail which departs from Mumbai Central halts for nearly 20 minutes at Dadar where five sleeperclass bogies are attachedOff he fliesHaving failed to secure the privilege of tailoring the railway schedule to his timetable Raj decided to fly with his wife Sharmila while his retinue of about 40 people left aboard the Gujarat Mail last night at around 10 pm managing to board the train just fine within the routine halt of 20 minutesThe tickets were booked in the name of Raj and prominent party members like Shalini Thackeray Rita Gupta Anil Shitore Avinash Abhyankar Atul Chandak and others Rajs team of financial heads and some media persons were also aboard the trainThe Thackeray couple will join the team in Ahmedabad directly this morning having booked an 850 am Jet Airways flight to the Gujarat capitalParty insiders cite different reasons as to why Raj chose to fly despite confirmed berths in firstclass ACSaid a party member Due to the heavy rainfall over the last few days the railway tracks at the Vaitarna Bridge after Virar have been waterlogged Raj doesnt want to miss the meeting scheduled for the morning of August 3 in AhmedabadShalini Thackeray general secretary Chitrapat Karmachari Sena one of the party members travelling via the Gujarat Mail said yesterday Due to Raj Sahebs prior commitment he is going by flight and will meet us in Ahmedabad directlyThe visit has been organised to learn from the good development in Gujarat which we would like to implement in our city Professionals from our party are also visiting Ahmedabad to understand the reasons behind Gujarats success she saidRita Gupta vicepresident Womens Wing of the MNS said We will travel along with other party members on Tuesday but Raj Saheb will travel by air as he has got some work at home6 months ago In February this year the Central Railway had attached a special firstclass AC bogey in the Vidarbha Express for Raj and his entourage on their way to NagpurThe MNS chief had a court hearing to attend in relation to the case of beating up candidates appearing or the railways exam it the state MiD DAY had reported about the incident Raj ka Raj on Central RailwayThe Other SideTalking to MiD DAY Raj denied having made any demands of the WR We have not made any such request of the railways My ticket was booked for August 2 on the Gujarat Mail but due to ill health I have decided to fly on the morning of August 3 Raj said