Palakkad: Controversy found its way to the Vande Bharat Express even before the train could complete its maiden journey in the state.
On Tuesday, during the reception accorded to the train at Shornur station, a Congress worker pasted posters of Palakkad MP V K Sreekandan on the glass windows of a bogie. However, a Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel tore down the posters, which led to an argument between the worker and the officer.
The Shornur RPF registered a case in the incident based on a complaint filed by the Yuva Morcha (BJP's youth wing).
Meanwhile, the District Congress Committee leadership clarified that no instructions were given to any party worker to put up the posters on the train.
Sreekandan too responded to the incident by saying the posters were pasted without his knowledge. Talking to Manorama News, he said none of the Congress workers at the station had glue or cover in their possession.
"Someone must have put it up on the glass window during the rain to click a picture. This is another one of the BJP's deliberate attempts to create a controversy," said Sreekandan.
The poster congratulated the Palakkad MP for ensuring the Vande Bharat train stopped at Shornur railway station. Earlier, Sreekandan had intervened and sent a letter to the Railway Minister when the train's stops did not have Shornur in its schedule. However, when the final list was published, a stop at Shornur was allowed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express from Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station at 11.10 am on Tuesday.
The train has 16 coaches of which two are executive with 104 seats.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the speed of Vande Bharat Express will be increased to 110km/h in the future after the railway tracks are straightened out in the state. The maximum speed of the train is 180 km/h.
The minister added that the Vande Bharat train will operate for at least 35 years and that India would boast of a world-class railway in 4 to 5 years' time.
