Cong, CPM slam Centre’s bid to privatise passenger trains

NEW DELHI: Slamming the Centre's decision to privatise the operation of certain passenger trains, the Opposition on Thursday said that such a move is against the basic of a self-reliant India. The opposition warned serious repercussions for the privatisation of Railways. Taking on the Modi government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government is snatching the

lifeline of the poor.

“Railways is the only lifeline of the poor and the government is taking it away from them. Snatch whatever you wish to, but, do remember that the people of the country will give a befitting reply to this,” Gandhi said.

Congress also wondered why the Centre decided to do

line privatisation for Railways in the middle of COVID-19. Earlier in the day, while opposing the Railways' decision to allow private entities in passenger train operations, CPI(M) said that the move undermines the basis of India's self-reliant economy and should be cancelled.

In a statement titled, “Privatisation of Railways would mean self-subservience, not self-reliance”, the CPI(M) said, “The private sector utilising the network established over centuries with all the required infrastructure will run passenger trains making super-profits.” “The Indian Railways remains as the most important network uniting our country and providing public transportation for crores of our people. The livelihood of crores of our people are dependent on the railways. Such privatisation undermines the basis of India's self-reliant economy,” the Left party said in a statement. It further said that contrary to the claim that the move will boost job generation, past experiences in other countries have shown that such privatisation results in huge job losses and create insecurity among crores of employees.

“The Central government and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi refuse to learn from international experience of how such privatisation of public transport has imposed unprecedented difficulties and burdens on the people. The Indian Railways is a public service. It is not a profit-generating enterprise. This character cannot be undermined,” it said. Later in the day, while talking to reporters, Congress spokesman and MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “Railways is the world's seventh largest employer on any activity.” “Now, with this scale, are you decimating and destroying value for India, for the nation, for India's ‘shaan, baan, aan' by minimising value or it is your object to be at least mediumising, it is not maximising,” Singhvi further said.