NEW DELHI: A day after BJP ally Shiv Sena slammed the centre over stampede deaths in Mumbai, Congress leader P Chidambaram questioned PM Modi’s pet bullet train project and said the government should instead focus on railway safety.
PM Modi recently launched the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project with visiting Japanese PM Shinzo Abe but the move has faced severe criticism due to the spate of train accidents over the past few weeks.
The Congress had questioned the timing of the announcement saying it was done to woo voters ahead of Gujarat assembly polls to be held by year-end.
While former railway minister Suresh Prabhu had resigned owning moral responsibility over a spate of accidents, luck it seems has not favoured the incumbent Piyush Goyal either.
Linking the bullet train to PM Modi’s controversial demonetisation decision taken in November last year, Chidambaram, a former finance minister, claimed that high speed trains would also prove to be disastrous like the ban on high-value notes. He did not take any names however.
“Bullet train is not for ordinary people. It is an ego trip for the high & mighty. Bullet train will be like demonetisation. It will kill everything else including safety,” Chidambaram further tweeted.
Cautioning the new railway minister Piyush Goyal, the Congress leader said he should spend money on safety and infrastructure than bullet trains.
“Railway Minister may take pledge on day after. Rs One lakh crore for rail safety, track upgrading, signalling & not for bullet train,” Chidambaram tweeted.
In Mumbai, MNS leader Raj Thackeray issued threats that he won’t allow work on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project to begin till the problems related to local train network were fixed.
“I will not allow bullet train to be built here if we are not getting basic facilities. If Modi wants, he can construct bullet train in Gujarat. If they use force, we will too,” Raj said.
He was more blunt than Chidambaram. “This Piyush Goyal is good for nothing...just for one bullet train, Suresh Prabhu was changed, he was good,” said Raj.
The remarks came a day after the Congress and the Sena had slammed the centre for neglecting safety and infrastructure of the railways network and sought an apology from the PM over the 22 stampede deaths in Mumbai.
