NEW DELHI: Hitting out at the previous Congress governments, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday accused the opposition party of amplifying small incidents on the railway network through its "social media troll army" to create fear among its two crore-plus passengers.
Replying to a debate on the Demand for Grants of Railways, Vaishnaw asserted that the Railways was the preferred mode of transport for the common man and the government has set in motion plans to produce an additional 2,500 general coaches in the coming months to address the issue of crowded trains.
He listed a series of steps such as introduction of Amrit Bharat trains comprising general and sleeper coaches with better facilities, having a recruitment calendar to fill in vacancies in railways and catering to the aspirational middle class with offerings such as Vande Bharat-class of trains.
Displaying rare aggression, Vaishnaw slammed the previous Congress governments for ignoring the safety aspects of the vast network by delaying the implementation of the automatic train protection system and also took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi for making reels with loco pilots.
"Hum reel banane wale log nahi, mehnat karne wale log hai (we are not the ones who make reels, but work with dedication)," Vaishnaw said, highlighting the dedication of his team over mere showmanship.
The opposition booed him as 'reel minister' and demanded his resignation in the wake of a series of railway accidents over the past couple of months.
"Those who are shouting here must be asked in their 58 years of being in power why they were not able to install Automatic Train Protection (ATP), even 1 km.Today, they dare to raise the questions," Vaishnaw said.
Later, the opposition walked out of the Lok Sabha protesting the minister's remarks.