Sonam Wangchuk praises Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat: Followers say it 'isn't the whole reality'

Every time educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk travels by train, he confesses on his social media page that it has always been his favourite mode of transport. On Thursday, for the first time, he travelled to Ladakh after the Janta Mantar protest, on the Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat. The train, which connects the Kashmir Valley with the mainland in under 13 hours, is renowned for its all-weather connectivity, the various landscapes and tunnels it crosses and most of all, the Chenab Bridge that's higher than the Eiffel Tower.

Wangchuk confessed that he has been excited to check out the Chenab Bridge, which is located in Reasi at 359 metres and is famed as the highest railway arch bridge in the world. The video has thousands of comments on Instagram from followers, thanking him for the fast he staged demanding the resignation of the former Indian education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Wangchuk also goes on to say that he hopes the government sticks to their promises and not book youngsters for the protest. 

Vande Bharat isn't the whole reality
While many responded positively to Wangchuk's post, a handful of comments also said why he should travel on general coaches to see the 'actual face of it.' On X, a handle named 'Gareeb Admi' pointed it out and said, 'More than 70% of the population travels on the general coaches.' Archana Patel and Deepika Sinha on X also shared the same observation. Sinha asked, 'What is there to be proud of in Indian Railways? The 2023 Balasore train accident claimed over 300 lives and left hundreds injured. Our Railway Minister did not take any responsibility and instead is making reels.' An X user also shared a video of an electrical accident at Dakshineswar station, where an 11K-volt fire fell on a local train.