Mamata Banerjee calls Vande Bharat “refurbished train”, BJP takes swipe
BJP leader Amit Malviya calls West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee a “disgrace” after she termed Vande Bharat “refurbished trains with new engine”.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya on Thursday called West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee a “disgrace” after she commented that Vande Bharat trains are “nothing but an old train refurbished with a new engine”. The BJP IT cell chief said CM Banerjee is “incompetent and jealous” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government's work in the state.
“Now it is abundantly clear that Vande Bharat was targeted on Mamata Banerjee’s instruction. She is both, incompetent and jealous, of Modi Govt working for WB. The problem was never slogans of Jai Shree Ram but BJP taking a lead to improve lives of people. What a disgrace she is!” Malviya said in a tweet.
Read| Bengal: Vande Bharat Express stone-throwers identified
A political mudslinging between BJP and Trinamool Congress (TMC) started following two incidents of stone pelting at Vande Bharat Express in West Bengal's Malda and New Jalpaiguri, days after its inauguration by PM Modi. A glass door was found broken in one incident, whereas, two window glasses were broken in the other.
Earlier, CM Banerjee attacked media for “defaming” the state and added that stone-pelting took place in neighbouring Bihar. She added that people in Bihar may have a complaint as they didn't receive Vande Bharat trains.
Meanwhile, railway authorities have identified the first set of people who threw stones at the train in New Jalpaiguri. “Based on the video footage and photographs taken by CCTV camera fitted with the Howrah-NJP [New Jalpaiguri] Vande Bharat train rake, the railway already identified stone pelters in the video. Initiatives have been taken to pinpoint the pelters and suitable action is being taken for conducting legal and penal proceedings against the offenders,” the railways said in a statement.