Sena, Cong take jibe at Goyal over diversion of UP-bound train

PTI

Mumbai

Taking a dig at Railways Minister Piyush Goyal over diversion of the Vasai Road-Gorakhpur Sharmik Special train via Odisha, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said their only request is that a train carrying migrant workers should reach its destination as announced.

Shiv Sena’s ally Congress also took a dim view of the train diversion, saying the government was “taking migrant workers on a country tour” without providing them food and water.

Both the allies also criticised Goyal after he said on Sunday night that his ministry was ready to run 125 Shramik Special trains from Maharashtra provided the state government furnishes a list of eligible migrants to the Mumbai- headquartered Central Railway in an hour. However, the NCP, which is also an alliance partner in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government, said Goyal and his ministry are under pressure and their efforts to run the trains should be appreciated.

The Vasai Road-Gorakhpur Sharmik Special train to Uttar Pradesh, which left from Palghar on May 21, was diverted to a different route via Odisha due to heavy congestion. It reached Gorakhpur two-and-a-half days later, when it should have reached the destination in about 25 hours.

Amid the political slugfest over the Shramik Special trains, Goyal on Sunday night said, “We are ready to provide 125 Shramik Special trains to Maharashtra.” “Since you have said that you have a list ready that is why I am requesting you to please provide all information like from where the train will run, the list of passengers according to the trains, their medical certificate and where the train is to go, to the General Manager of Central Railway within the next hour, so that we can plan the time of trains,” the Railways Minister tweeted.

Commenting on it, Raut on Monday tweeted: “Maharashtra government has given you a list of workers who wish to return home. The only request is that the train should reach the station, as announced earlier.” “The Gorakhpur bound train had reached Odisha,” the Sena’s Rajya Sabha member further said. He also asked Goyal if the Railways Ministry had made any such list while running the Nagpur-Udhampur migrant train on May 14.

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant also hit out at Goyal for asking the state to provide a list of migrant workers in an hour, and over the diversion of the Gorakhpur-bound train via Odisha.

Asked if the Railways Minister was politicising the issue, senior NCP leader Praful Patel, however, said the Indian Railways and Piyush Goyal are also under pressure to run the trains. “Their efforts should be respected. We appreciate that they are providing trains so that people can reach home,” Patel said.