Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw delivered a forceful rebuttal to the Opposition’s criticisms over recent train derailments in his address to the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Reacting angrily to being labelled the ‘Reel Minister’, Vaishnaw asserted that significant safety measures neglected during the Congress regime were now being politicised.
“Those who are shouting here must be asked why they were not able to install Automatic Train Protection (ATP) even for 1 km during their 58 years in power. Today, they dare to raise questions,” stated Vaishnaw.
He criticised Opposition members, specifically referencing Rahul Gandhi’s visit to loco pilots in Delhi on July 7, by saying, “Those who are busy making reels with locomotive drivers did nothing during their tenure.”
During his speech, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal called Vaishnaw a “reel minister” and a “derail minister”. Vaishnaw retorted angrily, “You please shut up,” and emphasised, “We’re not just people who make reels, we’re people who work hard.”
The Opposition has mocked Vaishnaw as the ‘Reel Minister’, accusing him of prioritising his social media presence over substantive improvements to railway infrastructure.
Vaishnaw highlighted a significant reduction in railway accidents, claiming that during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, the annual average number of accidents was 171, which has decreased by 68 per cent under the BJP Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“When Mamata Banerjee was the Railway Minister, she reported accident numbers decreasing from 0.24 to 0.19. People used to clap in the House, and today, when it has decreased from 0.19 to 0.03, they cast such blame. Will this country run in this way?” Vaishnaw questioned.
He accused Congress of using social media to spread false claims, suggesting they were trying to instil fear in the 2 crore people who travel by railways every day.
Recent train derailments, including a tragic incident on July 30 near Jamshedpur in Jharkhand that resulted in two deaths and 22 injuries, have fuelled criticism. The Congress alleged that Vaishnaw, dubbed the “Fail Minister,” has “overseen three accidents” in June and July alone, resulting in 17 deaths, with no accountability in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
