BHOPAL: BJP MP from Maharashtra Poonam Mahajan travelled by a special train to Bhopal from Bina district of Madhya Padesh two days back, raising questions of propriety but railways denied that any VIP treatment was meted out to her, saying it was sent for Union Minister Manoj Sinha.
"In fact the special train from Bhopal was sent for Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha to Sagar district as per protocol on May 31," Western-Central Railway (WCR) General Manager Ramesh Chandra said. Sinha had gone to Sagar to attend a function where Poonam was also present. From there, Sinha and Poonam came to nearby Bina by a special train where the minister inaugurated a Railway Over Bridge (ROB), he said.
After the function, Sinha, as per his scheduled plan, was to return to Bhopal by the special train from where he had to catch a flight to Delhi. But as the function got delayed, Sinha changed his plan at the last moment and boarded a train from Bina for Delhi, the GM said. "As the special train was to return to Bhopal, Poonam boarded it. Nothing should be read into it. It was a coincidence," he said.
According to railway rules, no special train can be run for MPs. Chandra refuted the charge of any VIP treatment being meted out to Poonam, daughter of former Union Minister late Pramod Mahajan. "No VIP treatment against the (rule) book was meted out to Poonam Mahajan," he said. Seizing on the issue, MP Congress chief spokesman K K Mishra said since Poonam was accorded VIP treatment against rules, action should be taken against the officials responsible.
By allowing the MP in a special train, the WCR authorities have violated the rules of Railways which do not permit such treatment to parliament members, he said. "It should be probed whether Poonam bought a ticket to travel in the train or not...If she travelled without a valid ticket, she should be prosecuted," he added.
"Every MP has to buy a ticket for boarding a train," he said. This incident shows that the NDA government is extending favours to its MPs while hiking the rail fare in every budget and burdening the common man, the Congress leader said. Seizing on the issue, MP Congress chief spokesman K K Mishra said since Poonam was accorded VIP treatment against rules, action should be taken against the officials responsible.
By allowing the MP in a special train, the WCR authorities have violated the rules of Railways which do not permit such treatment to parliament members, he said. "It should be probed whether Poonam bought a ticket to travel in the train or not...If she travelled without a valid ticket, she should be prosecuted," he added.
"Every MP has to buy a ticket for boarding a train," he said. This incident shows that the NDA government is extending favours to its MPs while hiking the rail fare in every budget and burdening the common man, the Congress leader said. Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh Chaudhary Munawwar Saleem demanded that an inquiry be conducted into the matter.
He said the treatment accorded to Mahajan was "totally unlawful". "An inquiry should be conducted into it and officers concerned who flouted rules should be punished," Saleem said.
He said that the Maharashtra MP too might be aware that what she has done was totally wrong and unlawful. "If the people in power start breaking rules what will happen to rule of the law in the country," he asked.