Shiv Sena slams Railways for 'late' invites to party MPs
He has brought this matter to the notice of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, said Sawant.
Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant on Wednesday criticised Railway officials for inviting his party MPs to railway-related events "at the eleventh hour" and warned of launching a "Shiv Sena-style" protest against this.
Sawant also alleged that although he has brought this matter to the notice of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, no corrective step has been taken in this regard so far. The Shiv Sena leader attended the inauguration ceremony of a platform and booking office at the Bandra Terminus, inaugurated by Prabhu via video conference today. Sawant wore a black scarf to register his protest.
"I have noticed that whenever Railway administration organises such functions, the parliamentarians, especially from Shiv Sena, are invited at the eleventh hour. This is not acceptable...This is why I have donned a black scarf to register my protest," Sawant told PTI after the function.
The first-time MP said, "Nine times out of 10, we are invited at a very short notice. Railway officials have forgotten that we have other social and political commitments and we need to be informed well in advance."
Stating that he was not against any railway project per se, he said he was opposed to the way they are being launched with a "well-thought out plan of keeping Sena representatives away" from such functions. "I have informed Suresh Prabhu about this delay in sending out invites to Sena MPs, but as usual he has done nothing," Sawant said, adding, "If Railway officials do not stop this practice soon, then we will handle it in Shiv Sena's trademark style in the near future."
When contacted, a senior Railway official said the public representatives concerned are generally invited as and when the announcements about such events are made. "The announcement of today's event was made at a very short notice and immediately after getting the nod from the Railways higher-ups, we got the invitation cards printed and dispatched to all the dignitaries concerned," Mukul Jain, DRM of Mumbai Division of Western Railway, said.