The newly inaugurated Vande Bharat train on the Meerut-Lucknow route came under controversy on Saturday, the day it was flagged off by PM Narendra Modi when a woman accused some BJP party workers of misbehaving and harassing them aboard the new train.
The woman and her companion, who said they were from Meerut and were invited by the party for social media promotion of the train said they were stopped and heckled by BJP workers when they were going to get food. A video of the incident went viral on social media and was also shared by Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed.
The woman is heard saying on the video that they were passing through one particular cabin and were stopped by one person who demanded why they were walking up and down the train. "While we were coming back after getting food, they stopped us, saying that we can't go from here as this was BJP workers' area," the woman said aboard the Vande Bharat train.
"They heckled and pushed us, I even hurt myself at one place. We are also connected with the BJP but they can't use the train as their personal property. This gives a bad name to the party," her companion said.
Mohamed who shared the video on her X handle called the incident 'completely unacceptable.' "The train is public property, not a personal or BJP asset," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off on Saturday three new Vande Bharat trains connecting Meerut with Lucknow, Madurai with Bengaluru and Chennai with Nagercoil.
Addressing the flag-off ceremony via video conference, Modi said faster growth of southern states is key to achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
The Meerut city-Lucknow Vande Bharat will help passengers save around one hour in comparison to the current fastest train between the two cities.
Published 31 August 2024, 15:18 IST