‘Demeaning, disrespectful for poor, middle-class’: Amritsar MP objects to name of Garib Rath trains in LS

In his question to the Ministry of Railways, Aujla wrote: “Whether the (central) government is aware of the increasing public sentiment/appeals to change the name of the Garib Rath Express due to concerns regarding the dignity and self-respect of passengers”.

He further asked the ministry: “Whether the government acknowledges that the term Garib Rath, once symbolic of affordable AC travel, now risks being perceived as patronising and inconsistent with the aspirations of the emerging middle class especially the hardworking population of Amritsar who frequently use this service”.

The Amritsar MP further asked: “Whether there is any proposal to rename the train in a way that better reflects values of empowerment, inclusion and national pride”.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Aujla said that he had only tried to convey the on-ground public sentiment on the name of these Express trains.

“The name Garib Rath is disrespectful and demeaning for the poor and middle-class people who work hard to fulfil their aspirations and dreams. They are the primary beneficiaries of this service. Somehow, this terminology is not correct to convey that affordable services are being provided to poor and middle-class people. A delegation also met me to convey their resentment against this name so I decided to raise it in Lok Sabha. The word ‘Garib’ and ‘Rath’ do not match and there were several other names which might have been opted for to befittingly convey that these were economical trains to provide AC facility at affordable prices,” the MP said.

Responding to Amritsar MP’s query, the Ministry of Railways said that there was no plan as of now to rename Garib Rath trains.

Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw in his reply said: “Bharatiya Rail is focussed on providing affordable, good quality services to all sections of society. No requests have been received to rename Garib Rath trains”.

The minister further wrote: “Indian Railways have introduced Vande Bharat services which are semi-high speed trains and are aimed to provide better travel experience and improved safety to the passengers.  To provide affordable means of transportation to the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have introduced Amrit Bharat services that are fully non-AC modern trains. Already 14 services are in operation”.