CPI(ML)L MP returns gold coin, silver bar gifted by Railway PSUs during Parliamentary panel tour; says act borders on corruption

New Delhi: Calling it “unethical and borders on corruption”, CPI(ML)L MP Sudama Prasad has returned one gram of gold coin and 100 gram silver block "gifted" to him by Railway PSUs in Bengaluru while he along with other MPs were on a visit to South India as part of a study tour by a Parliamentary Standing Committee.

The Arrah MP was gifted the gold coin and silver bar by RITES and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) on November 1 and once he realised the nature of gifts, he wrote to CM Ramesh, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways, about the incident the next day and returned it in front of other MPs in the panel.

Sources said he was approached by other Railway organisations during the study tour later too with gifts, including gold and silver as well as multiple SBI Gift Cards with a value of Rs 10,000 each, in Tirupati and Hyderabad. He returned those gifts on the spot. The committee was on a study tour between October 31 and November 7 in these three South Indian cities.

In his letter to Ramesh, he expressed his inability to “accept a few gifts” given by the PSUS while saying flowers, shawls, paintings and a few memorabilia are generally given as welcome gifts.

“However, what has pained me are the gifts given by RITES and RVNL. Yesterday (November 1), late in the night RITES and RVNL people visited my room and presented me with two bags of memorabilia. As I was tired from my day's work, I didn't immediately look into what was given to me,” he said.

“Later in the night, I discovered one gram gold coin and 100 gram silver block were given to me by RITES and RVNL, respectively. I was taken aback and raised questions about public morality and ethics on part of Indian Railways for having given such gifts,” he said  in the letter, which was made public.

Prasad said the organisations' action is “not only unethical but borders on corruption to silence the MPs” from raising issues concerning the public at a time when passengers are facing multiple challenges of railway safety, increasing fares, lack of facilities and humiliating treatment by the Railways.

In his letter, he referred to sanitation workers in railway stations not being paid minimum wages and being forced to work on contract and face harassment at the hands of contractors. 

He also said people are made to travel without dignity in general and sleeper compartments while no new trains are introduced for the poor and middle class, as the focus is primarily on Vande Bharat trains.

Placing the gifts in front of the committee on November 2, he also expressed “dissatisfaction and anger for treating an MP in this manner” by these organisations.