|HT|
A sharp exchange of remarks was witnessed this week in parliament after Trinamool Congress MP Nusrat Jahan targeted the centre over the Bullet train project. In a video she tweeted, the 32-year-old leader is heard saying: "Bullet trains that we see in Japan - is it possible to run them in India? Because our soil is not fit for such type of trains to operate." In response, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says: "Yesterday, an honourable MP said that the Indian soil is not capable of running a bullet train. This is so shameful... The party which talks about Maa, Mati, Manush(TMC slogan) today don't trust Maa (Mother India) and Maati (Indian soil), I wonder what kind of Manush (people) they are." Mamata Banerjee's party's slogan is "Maa, Maati, Manush".
"Who says Indian soil is not fit for a project. We have to trust the potential of our engineers. Till when, will we continue to trust foreigners?" Vaishnaw asks amid clamour in the house.
In 2017, the foundation stone for the Mumbai to Ahmedabad bullet train project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. Two more bullet train projects are in the works, officials had said last year. The video shared by Nusrat Jahan was shared by the BJP's Raju Bista in a tweet where he said: "Those who speak of “Maa-Maati-Manush” are the very ones who insult the ‘Maati’ of this Nation. Such a shame! (sic)"
But a relentless Nusrat Jahan replied: 'Dreams of Running Bullet Trains like Japan in India is a bluff to the Nation. Indian soil is not capable to set up such railway tracks on the Ground. It is the Science / not to be taken as one speech of a street corner meeting. (sic)" Speaking to reporters, Vaishnaw on Thursday said: "If they would have said that we have technical challenges in running the bullet train in India, I would have explained to them the technicalities. But such questioning of India's integrity and principles is not acceptable to any Indian including me."
The second phase of the budget session of parliament resumed on Monday. It will continue till April 8.
(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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