31 December,2022 09:45 AM IST | Kolkata | Agencies
Attempts by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Governor C V Ananda Bose to pacify Mamata Banerjee did not bear fruit. Pics/PTI, ANI
High drama prevailed at Howrah Station on Friday as a visibly annoyed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to get onto the dais from where the Vande Bharat express to New Jalpaiguri was later flagged off.
Banerjee seemed upset by the loud sloganeering from a section of the invited crowd at the railway station.
Attempts by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Governor C V Ananda Bose to pacify her did not bear fruit, as the chief minister chose to sit on a chair along with the audience.
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The Vande Bharat Express connecting Howrah and New Jalpaiguri, the gateway to the northeast, as well as several development projects, was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
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The PM launched four railway projects for West Bengal and laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the New Jalpaiguri railway station. "Today's Vande Bharat train was launched from the land where âVande Mataram' slogan was coined. The launch date of December 30 is significant as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had hoisted the tricolour in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on this day in 1943," he said.
"In the 21st century, for rapid development of the country, growth and reform of railways is essential. A nationwide campaign is underway to transform railways," Modi said.
Later, after a metro rail ride, Railway minister Vaishaw downplayed the incident while speaking with newspersons at Taratala and said the chief minister had been invited with "aadar" (affection) and "samman" (respect). He said "aise koi baat nahi hui ke naraaz hone ki baat ho. Karyakarta naare lagate hai (Nothing occurred to cause any angst. Workers often mouth slogans)".
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