Kochi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Vande Bharat Express at Kochi in Kerala on April 25. Everyone in the state was jubilant. However, the positivity was short-lived as soon enough on April 26, a row over poster that was pasted all over the windows of wagon of the train marred the celebration.
Day after the inauguration, a video went viral wherein Congress workers were allegedly seen pasting the posters of Sreekandan on the windows of a wagon of Vande Bharat Express when it reached Shoranur Junction Railway Station on April 25. Moreover, it was shameful as this was Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express, the semi-high-speed train that traverses from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, covering the 586-km-long journey in eight hours. On its way, the train covers districts including Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur.
ANI tweeted, “Congress workers pasted posters of Palakkad MP VK Sreekandan on the windows of a wagon of Vande Bharat Express when the train reached Shoranur in Kerala’s Palakkad yesterday. Railway Protection Force has registered a case, investigation underway.”
#WATCH | Congress workers pasted posters of Palakkad MP VK Sreekandan on the windows of a wagon of Vande Bharat Express when the train reached Shoranur in Kerala's Palakkad yesterday. Railway Protection Force has registered a case, investigation underway pic.twitter.com/rgqocYIqid
— ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2023
Soon enough, the tweet was inundated with replies that were both sarcastic and scathing.
“And therefore even education has its limitations,” wrote a user sarcastically mocking literacy rate of Kerala, while another user wrote, “At least, they did not stone the train. We must all be indebted to the Congress Party.”
One more user stated, “Suspend RPF officer who allowed them in station and create nuisance to common public.”, while the other questioned Sashi Tharoor, “sir is it acceptable.”
Meanwhile, Railway Protection Force took cognisance of the matter and registered a case to probe the incident. The personnel also removed the posters being pasted on the windows of the wagon of the train.
What was more sad is that the train was in its inaugural run. Palakkad MP and his supporters were present at the railway station to welcome the train, while Congress workers allegedly pasted posters in praise of Sreekandan for his role in ensuring the train’s halt at Shoranur Junction.
Responding to the incident, BJP State President K. Surendran stated that it was the action of the MP’s supporters. In a Facebook post, he lashed out at Sreekandan and wondered how an MP and his followers can behave with such a dirty mind.
Where as Sreekandan denying all the allegations said that he did not authorise anyone to paste his posters on the train and alleged that the BJP was deliberately trying to create a controversy out of it