The Congress Kerala unit has appealed to legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan to highlight the urgent need for more trains to accommodate India’s growing population. This appeal comes as the campaign for the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, set for June 1, reaches its final stages.
In a tweet addressed to Bachchan, the Congress Kerala unit criticized Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and shared a 40-second video showing an overcrowded train compartment. The video depicts passengers struggling in the heat, some using plastic fans to cool down.
“We need a small help from you. Crores of ordinary people are forced to travel like this. Even the reserved compartments are packed with people. It is 52 degrees Celsius in North India, and this video is from Gorakhpur where the UP Chief Minister hails from,” the Congress Kerala unit stated.
“Our population grew by 14 Cr in last decade, and proportionately a 1000 trains should have been added. We’ve added quite a few Vande Bharats to the fleet even though half of them are running with very low occupancy,” it added.
Further criticizing Railway Minister Vaishnaw, the party alleged that despite many requests to increase the number of trains, the minister only responds to issues highlighted by the affluent and celebrities, even if the request is minor, like recovering a hacked Twitter account.
Therefore urging the bollywood actor, the Congress Kerala unit added, “Given your influence and commitment to social causes, we request you to tweet about this matter. Your support can help bring much-needed attention to the plight of these people and potentially inspire action.”