AS RAJASTHAN'S first Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took swipes at each other. Addressing the event, Modi criticised past governments, saying that “political interests had dominated the need for modernisation” of the Railways. Hitting back, Gehlot, in a statement later, said that if economic liberalisation had not happened under then Union Finance Minister Manmohan Singh in 1991, the “modern train” would not be running in India. In his address, Modi lamented “the fact that an important and basic need of the citizens like railways was turned into an arena of politics.” India “inherited a fairly big railway network at the time of Independence but political interest dominated the need for modernisation in the years after Independence. Politics was evident in the selection of railway minister, announcement of trains and even in recruitment. Land acquisition was done under the false pretence of railway jobs, many unmanned crossings continued for a very long time, and cleanliness and safety took a back seat,” he said. Hours later, Gehlot tweeted a statement in Hindi, in which he countered Modi. “I am sorry that today, in my presence, you have termed the decisions of railway ministers prior to 2014… as motivated by corruption and political selfishness,” he said. “In an attempt to reduce the importance of railways, you have abolished the separate railway budget during your tenure. If the modern train is able to run today, it is because Dr Manmohan Singhji, as the Finance Minister, carried out economic liberalisation in 1991 and gave new technology an opportunity to develop in India. Technological advancements have taken place all over the world over time, due to which new technology has also come to India, and there have been improvements in the railways. It is not fair to say that development work in railways has happened only after 2014,” he said. “Today, your speech was completely aimed at the 2023-24 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, and it was like the BJP's poll agenda,” he said. At the event, Modi also took a swipe at Gehlot, as he alluded to the ongoing friction with his former deputy, Sachin Pilot. “I want to express my special gratitude to Gehlot ji, ki in dino woh rajneetik apadhapi mein, anek sankaton se guzar rahe hain. Uske bawajood bhi vikas ke kaam ke liye samay nikal kar ke aaye. Railway karyakram mein hissa liya. Main unka swagat bhi karta hun, abhinandan bhi karta hun. (Despite going through political crises and several troubles, he took out time and came for the developmental works of railways. I welcome him and thank him for that),” he said. On Tuesday, Pilot had held a symbolic five-hour fast demanding action by the state government in alleged corruption cases during the tenures of former Chief Minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje. Responding to questions on Pilot's protest at a separate press conference in the evening, Gehlot said the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has been very active in the state and has arrested a few civil servants too. Earlier in the day, speaking at the Vande Bharat launch, Gehlot said: “Some proposals have been pending… There are three districts, Banswara, Tonk and Karauli, which despite being the district headquarters have no railway connection.” He also requested Modi to address this. Modi took a swipe at this request too. “The works which should have been done immediately after Independence, haven’t been done till now. You have so much trust in me that you have kept (the request for) those works before me. This trust of yours is the power of friendship. And, I express my gratitude to you for the trust you repose (in me) as a friend,” he said. Expected to improve the connectivity of major tourist destinations in Rajasthan including Pushkar, Ajmer Sharif Dargah etc, the state’s first Vande Bharat train, which will begin regular service from Thursday, will run between Ajmer and Delhi Cantonment railway stations, with stops at Jaipur, Alwar and Gurgaon. In a statement, the government said: “The new Vande Bharat Express will cover the distance between Delhi Cantt and Ajmer in 5 hours 15 minutes. The present fastest train in the same route, Shatabdi Express, takes 6 hours 15 minutes from Delhi Cantt to Ajmer. Thus, the new Vande Bharat Express will be faster by 60 minutes as compared to the present fastest train running on the same route.” The statement added: “Ajmer-Delhi Cantt Vande Bharat Express will be the world's first semi-high-speed passenger train on high-rise overhead electric (OHE) territory.” In his address, Modi said approximately 60 lakh citizens have travelled on the Vande Bharat Express trains since its inception. “The speed of Vande Bharat is its main speciality, and it is saving the time of people,” he added. Modi said the railway budget for Rajasthan has been increased 14 times since 2014, from Rs 700 crore in 2014 to more than Rs 9,500 crore this year. +++ On Tuesday, Rajasthan’s former deputy chief minister Pilot had held a symbolic five-hour fast demanding action by the State Government in corruption cases during the tenures of the former chief minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje. “I want to express my special gratitude to Gehlot ji, ki in dino woh rajneetik apadhapi mein, anek sankaton se guzar rahe hain. Uske bawajood bhi vikas ke kaam ke liye samay nikal kar ke aaye. Railway karyakram mein hissa liya. Main unka swagat bhi karta hun, abhinandan bhi karta hun (Despite going through political crises and several troubles, he found time and came for the developmental works of railways. I welcome him and thank him for that),” Modi said. Earlier, in his address, CM Gehlot had said, “Some proposals have been pending… There are three districts, Banswara, Tonk and Karauli, which despite being district headquarters have no railway connection.” He also requested the prime minister to address this. Modi took a swipe at this request too. He said, “The works which should have been done immediately after Independence, haven’t been done till now. You have so much trust in me that you have kept (the request) for those works before me. This trust of yours is the power of friendship. And, I express my gratitude to you for the trust you repose (in me) as a friend.” Expected to improve the connectivity of major tourist destinations in Rajasthan including Pushkar, Ajmer Sharif Dargah etc, the state’s first Vande Bharat train will run between Ajmer and Delhi Cantonment railway stations, with stops at Jaipur, Alwar and Gurgaon. The regular service of this Vande Bharat Express will start on April 13. In a statement, the government said, “The new Vande Bharat Express will cover the distance between Delhi Cantt and Ajmer in 5 hours 15 minutes. The present fastest train in the same route, Shatabdi Express, takes 6 hours 15 minutes from Delhi Cantt to Ajmer. Thus, the new Vande Bharat Express will be faster by 60 minutes as compared to the present fastest train running on the same route,” it claimed. The statement added, “Ajmer-Delhi Cantt Vande Bharat Express will be the world's first semi-high-speed passenger train on high-rise overhead electric (OHE) territory.” In his address, PM Modi pointed out approximately 60 lakh citizens have travelled on the Vande Bharat Express trains since its inception. “The speed of Vande Bharat is its main speciality and it is saving the time of people,” he added. A government statement said PM Modi also “lamented the fact that an important and basic need of the citizens like railways was turned into an arena of politics. He said India inherited a fairly big railway network at the time of Independence but political interest dominated the need for modernisation in the years after independence”. "Politics was evident in the selection of the railway minister, the announcement of trains and even in recruitment. Land acquisition was done under the false pretence of railway jobs and many unmanned crossings continued for a very long time and cleanliness and safety took a back seat," it added. PM Modi also said the railway budget for Rajasthan has been increased 14 times since 2014, from Rs 700 crore in 2014 to more than Rs 9,500 crore this year.
