Ashwini Vaishnaw’s reaction came after the opposition parties questioned whether he is a rail minister or a “reel minister.”
Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while addressing the Lok Sabha on Thursday, lost his cool with opposition members. “Chup baitho (be quiet). We are not just people who make reels, we are people who work hard,” he said.
Vaishnaw’s reaction came after the opposition INDIA bloc criticised him for arriving at the accident site on a motorcycle, questioning whether he was a rail minister or a “reel minister.”
He said that safety measures were neglected during the Congress regime and that the Opposition consistently seeks to politicise the issue.
“Those who are shouting here should be asked why they failed to install Automatic Train Protection (ATP) even for 1 km during their 58 years in power. Today, they have the audacity to raise questions,” said the railway minister.
In a veiled attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Union railway minister said that those busy making reels with locomotive drivers accomplished nothing during their tenure. He was referring to Rahul Gandhi’s visit to loco pilots in Delhi on July 7.
During his speech, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) member Hanuman Beniwal called him a “reel minister” and a “derail minister.”
However, in his response, Vaishnaw turned and sharply told Beniwal to “please sit down (chup baitho).” He then addressed the Opposition MPs, saying, “Chup baitho (be quiet). We are not just people who make reels, we are people who work hard,” he said.
Taking a jibe at the previous Congress-led UPA regime, Vaishnaw said that the annual average number of accidents was 171, which has decreased by 68 per cent during the 10 years of the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.