Rajasthan Chief Minister has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of the development of Indian Railways by the previous ministers is 'unfortunate'. Gehlot said that it was sad that PM Modi referred to the decisions of Ministers of Railways prior to 2014 as 'corrupt' and 'politically motivated'. The Chief Minister went on to name several railways ministers to slam PM Modi for his comment which he made on Wednesday during the launch of the first Vande Bharat Express train in Rajasthan.
PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday heaped praise on Ashok Gehlot while addressing the flagging-off ceremony of the state's first Vande Bharat Express. Referring to CM Gehlot as a friend, Modi thanked him for "taking out time for developmental work and attending the railway programme despite political tensions in the state."
"The work which should have been done immediately after independence has not been done till now... but you have so much faith in me that you have put that work in front of me today. This is your belief … your faith is the strength of my friendship. I thank you for the trust you have in friendship," PM Modi added.
In a response to PM Modi's claim of no development by previous rail ministers in the country, Gehlot named Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jagjeevan Ram, Madhavrav Scindia, Janeshwar Mishra, Mamata Banerjee, Mallikarjung Kharge among others to stress on his point. He said it was 'unfortunate' of the Prime Minister to refer to the work and decisions of every rail minister except his government's as 'corrupt and politically motivated'.
He accused the Prime Minister of degrading the importance of Indian railways by removing the separate Railways Budget. Gehlot said that it was wrong to say that development in railways happened only after 2014, adding, "If you are able to run a high-tech train, it is only because of the liberalisation that Manmohan Singh introduced in 1991."
He said that PM Modi's speech was centered towards elections in 2023-2024 and was filled with BJP's agenda. "I believe these comments will not go well with the countrymen," Gehlot concluded.