During a heated parliamentary session on August 1st, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw responded to opposition criticisms with the remark, "Hum reel banane wale log nahi, mehnat karne wale log hai." This comment was made in the context of the opposition raising slogans of "Ashwini Vaishnaw hay hay" during the discussion of the Railway budget. Vaishnaw’s remark was intended to emphasise his focus on diligent work rather than superficial showmanship. 

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the improvements made for loco pilots, stating, "The average working and rest times of loco pilots are governed by rules formulated in 2005, which were updated in 2016 to provide additional facilities. We have air-conditioned all 558 running rooms, and over 7,000 loco cabs are now equipped with air conditioning to address issues like vibration and heat. This was not the case during the tenure of those who now show sympathy through social media reels." 

While addressing the Lok Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw challenged his critics by stating, "Those who are shouting here must be asked why, in their 58 years of power, they were unable to install even 1 km of Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems. Today, they have the audacity to raise questions." 

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw criticised the opposition's inconsistent approach, remarking, "When Mamata Banerjee was Railway Minister and the accident rates decreased from 0.24 to 0.19, they applauded. Now, when the rate has decreased from 0.19 to 0.03, they blame us. Is this how the country will be governed? Congress, with its troll army on social media, is spreading falsehoods and trying to instill fear among the 2 crore people who travel by rail daily." 

Vaishnaw highlighted the government's commitment to improving railway infrastructure, announcing plans to produce 2,500 general coaches soon, with a total target of 10,000 coaches. He also noted that the current composition of trains—where two-thirds are non-AC (sleeper and general coaches) and one-third are AC coaches—has been consistent and unchanged over time. 

Vaishnaw expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his guidance and to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for addressing the issue of underinvestment in the railways through a substantial budget allocation. He also recognised the hard work and dedication of the 12 lakh railway employees who manage over 20,000 trains daily. 

Image Source:  ToI