New Delhi: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday pressed that the priority of the nation should be providing our soldiers with bullet proof vests rather than focusing on bullet trains.

Akhilesh’s comments came while he was addressing a press conference in Lucknow, where took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government's ambitious bullet train project and said, "Today, the country does not require a bullet train, it is more important that our soldiers get bulletproof jackets”.

The comment came at a time when the entire nation is mourning the deaths of 40 Indian soldiers who lost their lives due to suicide terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.

He also raised questions over intelligence agencies and called on the centre to formulate a long-term strategy for securing the country's borders.

"Why is our Intelligence failing? You can't compensate for the loss of lives. The nation stands by its security forces and jawans. If all political parties have put their political events on hold, the ruling party should do the same and form a long-term strategy to secure our borders," he said.