Vaishnaw addressing the Lok Sabha said, "A few members have said the Bill will lead to privatisation of railways, an attempt has been made to set a fake narrative. I want to appeal to them with all sincerity not to do this, their one fake narrative about the Constitution has already failed."
The Lok Sabha passed the Railways (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday by a voice vote, as the Centre assured that the Bill will not lead to the privatisation of the national carrier and alleged that a "fake narrative" is being spread by some opposition members while they criticised it.
Vaishnaw addressing the Lok Sabha said, "A few members have said the Bill will lead to privatisation of railways, an attempt has been made to set a fake narrative. I want to appeal to them with all sincerity not to do this, their one fake narrative about the Constitution has already failed."
A debate was also held on December 11 before passing the bill by the lower house.
This comes after several leaders from the opposition parties expressed concerns regarding the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and how it may lead to privatisation of the Indian Railways.
The Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 aims to enhance the functioning and independence of the Railway Board.
With the inclusion of the Railway Board under the 1989 Railway Act, the appointment, qualifications, tenure and criteria for the Chairman and members of the Board will be the responsibility of the central government.
As part of the plan to improve railway operations, the Bill also includes provisions to appoint an independent regulator that will oversee matters like fare determination and ensure the competitiveness of the Railways.
During the debate today, opposition members alleged that the Bill would lead to the privatisation of railways and demanded that it be referred to a joint parliamentary committee for further scrutiny.
They also requested the restoration of concessions for senior citizens.
Last week, Congress MP Manoj Kumar alleged that the autonomy of railways that this Bill aims to allow, will pose a negative impact and increase the potential for privatisation. Another Congress leader Gurjeet Singh Aujla echoed the same concern as he said that people are apprehensive of Centre Privatising the railways.
Samajwadi Party member Neeraj Maurya urged the minister not to move towards privatisation and suggested consulting all party representatives before introducing the Bill.
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee expressed worry about rail accidents and proposed reducing Indian Railways’ operating costs while improving passenger facilities.
Meanwhile, NK Premachandran of the RSP, called for the government to bring back train fare concessions for senior citizens. Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan (Pappu Yadav) demanded the restoration of concessions for journalists and SC/ST/OBC students taking exams.
Responding to the debate on the bill, Railway Minister Ashiwni Vaishnaw referred to the opposition claiming that their "fake narrative" regarding railways will fall flat.
Vaishnaw addressing the Lok Sabha said, "A few members have said the Bill will lead to privatisation of railways, an attempt has been made to set a fake narrative. I want to appeal to them with all sincerity not to do this, their one fake narrative about the Constitution has already failed."
Vaishnaw also stressed the urgency of significantly enhancing the capacity of the country's railway system.
He further said, "Ours is a country of 1.40 crore people which is a rapidly growing economy. There is a need to significantly enhance railway's capacity. There has been a lack of investment in railways for over 50-60 years."
"When PM Modi took over in 2014, the railways budget which used to be around Rs 25,000-30,000 crore, was increased to Rs 2.52 lakh crore," he added.
Vaishnaw also shared the information that the Indian railway tracks have been increased by 31,000 km, including 5300 km within the last year which is more than Switzerland's entire railway coverage.