TMC dubs PM Modi’s Ayodhya tour as ‘political gimmick’

Kolkata: Kolkata’s Mayor and senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Firhad Hakim on Saturday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ayodhya tour and said that taking the name of “Hari” would not work for him or for his party.

He also suggested that the Centre should have focused on the safety and security of the passengers travelling in trains instead of setting up selfie booths.

Referring to Modi’s Ayodhya trip and inauguration of new Vande Bharat trains, Hakim said: “These programmes were like taking the name of God before death. Instead of doing a gimmick, the Modi government should have given attention to the safety issues. My elder brother was returning to the city from Mumbai in Vande Bharata on Friday. The train was supposed to reach Howrah by 8.30 but it arrived at 1.30 at night. Even the railway track appeared to be shaking when the train was running. The track is not ready. The Centre should focus more on safety than selfie zones.”

PM Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Maharshi Valmiki Airport and the redeveloped Ayodhya Railway Station from where he flagged off two Amrit Bharat and six Vande Bharat trains, some virtually.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also attacked Modi on Saturday. In a post on X (formerly twitter), Ghosh said: “This indeed is PM @narendramodi’s New India! Where 97 crore people are unable to afford a healthy diet, yet the govt. slashes foodgrain subsidies for the poor by 63% where 2 lakh urban dwellers remain homeless and 6.5 crores reside in slums, where 42% of young graduates under 25 battle joblessness with youth unemployment surpassing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh & Bhutan. But you do have selfie booths with the Prime Minister’s cutouts promising you that “achhe din” are soon to come.”