WATCH | Ashwini Vaishnaw Loses Cool Over Opposition's 'Reel Minister' Jibe In Parliament

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw delivered a forceful rebuttal to the Opposition's criticisms regarding recent train mishaps during his address to the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Responding to accusations that he has been more focused on social media than on railway safety, Vaishnaw, visibly angered by the Opposition's jibe calling him the 'Reel Minister,' defended his record and attacked the previous Congress-led government.

"Those who are shouting here must be asked why they were not able to install Automatic Train Protection (ATP) even for 1 km during their 58 years in power. Today, they dare to raise questions," Vaishnaw asserted, highlighting what he described as safety neglect during the Congress regime. He also took aim at Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to loco pilots in Delhi, saying, "Those who are busy making reels with locomotive drivers did nothing during their tenure."

The Minister's speech was interrupted by Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal, who taunted, "You are a reel minister, you are a derail minister."

Vaishnaw, visibly irked, responded sharply, "You please shut up," and went on to say, "We're not just people who make reels, we're people who work hard."

Vaishnaw also pointed out that during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's tenure, the annual average number of accidents was 171, which has decreased by 68 percent during the 10 years of BJP governance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He contested the Opposition's criticism with past praise for similar reductions in accident rates, saying, "When Mamata Banerjee was the Railway Minister, she used to report the accident numbers decreasing from 0.24 to 0.19. People used to clap in the House, and today, when it has decreased from 0.19 to 0.03, they cast such blame. Will this country run in this way?"

Addressing accusations that the BJP government has not been held accountable for recent accidents, including the July 30 derailment near Jamshedpur that resulted in two deaths and 22 injuries, Vaishnaw accused Congress of attempting to instill fear among the public.

"Congress, with the help of its troll army on social media, raises false claims. Are they trying to instil fear in the hearts of the 2 crore people who travel by railways every day?" he asked.