'Such a shame you choose to attack hard work of Indians': Piyush Goyal hits back at Rahul Gandhi for Train 18 criticism

A day after being flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's first semi-high speed train, the Vande Bharat Express, ran into trouble early Saturday during its return to Delhi from Varanasi. The train, which does not have a locomotive, reached Delhi around 1pm, hours behind its schedule. Officials said the delay was caused by "skidding wheels", but those on board the train claimed the problem related to malfunctioning of brakes.

The train began its first commercial run on Sunday.

Vande Bharat Express left Delhi for Varanasi today morning on its first commercial run. Tickets sold out for the next two weeks already. Get yours today! pic.twitter.com/LwokUNHRJj

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 17, 2019

(Photo: PTI)

Congress president Rahul Gandhi cited Train 18 experiencing trouble on Saturday to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India programme, claiming that most people feel it has failed.

"Modi ji, I think Make in India needs a serious rethink. Most people feel it has failed. I assure you we in the Congress are thinking very deeply about how it will be done," he said in a tweet, tagging a report which claimed train 18 'breaks down' 200 km outside Delhi.

Modi ji, i think Make in India needs a serious rethink. Most people feel it has failed. I assure you we in the Congress are thinking very deeply about how it will be done. https://t.co/3jKBOzEmE3

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 16, 2019

(Photo: PTI)

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said it was a shame that the Congress chief chose to attack the hard work and ingenuity of Indians.

"Such a shame that you choose to attack the hard work and ingenuity of Indian engineers, technicians and labourers. It is THIS mindset which needs a reset. ‘Make In India’ is a success and a part of crores of Indian lives. Your family had 6 decades to think, wasn’t that enough?" he tweeted. 

Such a shame that you choose to attack the hard work and ingenuity of Indian engineers, technicians and labourers. It is THIS mindset which needs a reset. ‘Make In India’ is a success and a part of crores of Indian lives. Your family had 6 decades to think, wasn’t that enough? https://t.co/ebto2kTzst

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 16, 2019

(Photo: PTI)

The BJP in a tweet also attacked Rahul for his comment.

The party said in a tweet, "Just because of one minor glitch you are asking for rethink on an initiative as critical as ‘Make in India’. Do you realise how deeply India is rethinking about a consistent failure like you? P.S: Does your deep thinking involve outsourcing our manufacturing to Italy?"

Just because of one minor glitch you are asking for rethink on an initiative as critical as ‘Make in India’.

Do you realise how deeply India is rethinking about a consistent failure like you?

P.S: Does your deep thinking involve outsourcing our manufacturing to Italy? https://t.co/fqSzZU04IP

— BJP (@BJP4India) February 16, 2019

Train 18, renamed as Vande Bharat Express, was flagged off by Prime Minister Modi on February 15. The train, manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, became India's fastest train by hitting speeds of over 180 kmph during a trial run on a section of the Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani route. 

(Photo: PTI)

The train, which does not have a locomotive, reached Delhi around 1pm, hours behind its schedule. Officials said the delay was caused by "skidding wheels", but those on board the train claimed the problem related to malfunctioning of brakes. The train is set to begin its first commercial run Sunday with all tickets already sold out.

In a detailed statement issued Saturday evening, the railways said the train had to be stopped at Chamraula station of National Capital Region, about 18 km after crossing Tundla station.

"There was an issue of communication between the last basic unit of 4 coaches and the rest of the train probably due to some external hit. Thereafter, safety features in the train applied brakes. The train was checked for faults and moved to Delhi," it said.

Train 18, renamed as Vande Bharat Express, had left Varanasi Junction for Delhi at 10:30 pm Friday, nearly 45 minutes after reaching the holy city on its inaugural journey.

(Photo: PTI)

The first breakdown happened about 15 kilometres from Tundla junction in Uttar Pradesh.

"It was a case of skidding wheels after the train ran over cattle," Northern Railway CPRO Deepak Kumar had said in the morning. According to sources, including several journalists on board the train, it was stuck near Tundla for over an hour. They said the train's end coaches had started making a rattling sound before it came to a halt.

"There was some smell in the last four coaches which had no power. Also, smoke was noticed. Loco pilots decreased the speed for some time. I heard the officials talking about brake malfunction," a source on the train said.

Around 8:15 am, the engineers fixed the problem and the train started moving at 10 kmph which was increased to 40 kmph after some time. Then the reporters and officials on board were transferred to another train bound for Delhi.

After necessary repairs, it started the last leg of the journey towards Delhi at a speed of over 100 kmph, officials said.

"This disruption appears to be because of a possible cattle run-over. The train was returning at night and cattle run-over is a possibility at odd times," maintained Railway spokesperson Smita Vats Sharma.

(Photo: PTI)

However, it suffered a breakdown after 40 minutes at Hathras Junction and could resume journey after 10:20 am and is now running at a speed of less than 50 kmph, sources said.

In the statement, the railways said the train has been examined at New Delhi maintenance depot to rectify the defect in communication that occurred en route.

"All other systems of the train have also been thoroughly examined. The train will be able to run as per schedule on February 17. Indian Railways looks forward to welcoming passengers in this historic journey," it said.

(Photo: PTI)

Among those who mocked the Train 18's not-100%-successful inaugural run was British public broadcaster BBC. The media group tweeted a news report on the train's trouble, albeit mocking slyly in the process. 

Industrialist Anand Mahindra was among those who reacted to the BBC tweet saying that "this kind of attitude makes us determined to do even better."

"An emoji! Really @BBCWorld ? Do you think you could have done a better job disguising your glee? The good thing is that it’s this kind of attitude that makes us determined to do even better," he said. 

(Photo: PTI)