The opposition is at it once again. Underestimating the intellect of the common man is the basis of their politics, and they have shown those colors once again. The target this time is the government’s flagship bullet train project. Already, this project has been much maligned, but it looks the AAP has taken it to a ridiculous level.
Ankit Lal of AAP tweeted an infographic today about how much the bullet rain would cost the country and how unnecessary it would be. This is a narrative that the opposition has pursued of late, to make the government look like an elitist anti-poor regime.
What do you want?
One bullet train or 800 Rajdhanis? pic.twitter.com/N8qPPjlN8j
— Ankit Lal 🏹 (@AnkitLal) July 8, 2018
The infographic showed that a single bullet train will cost the country around 60,000 crore rupees. The AAP politician seems to have gotten his math wrong. Considering there are supposed to be 750 seats on the train, every seat will cost the taxpayer 80 crore rupees according to Ankit Lal’s estimate. This is, to put it lightly, absurd.
Now here’s another absurdity one comes across if one goes according to Ankit Lal’s estimate. Considering the dimensions of each seat are supposed to be 2.5 feet by 3 feet, the seat area is 7.5 square feet. If every seat according to AAP’s estimate would cost the taxpayer 80 crore rupees, then every square foot of the seating area of the seating area coasts 10.66 crores. God knows from where the AAP leader came up with such estimate.
Now let us examine this infographic from another perspective. Ankit Lal seems to suggest that with the amount spent on one bullet train, the government could have instead put 800 Rajdhani trains on Indian tracks. Behind this tweet, is a deep-seated mentality of antidevelopment and anti-progress.
BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga exposed this mentality aptly. He quoted Ankit Lal’s tweet and said that instead of 800 Rajdhanis, one could have 8000 passenger trains. Instead of 8000 passengers, one could have 800,000 buses. Instead of 800,000 buses, one could have 8000000000 bullock carts. And instead of that many bullock carts, one could have 100 times more the number of bicycles.
What do you want ? 800 Rajdhani or 8000 Passenger trains ?
What do you want ? 8000 Passenger trains or 800000 Buses ?
What do you want ? 800000 Buses or
8000000000 Bullock carts ?What do you want ? 8000000000 Bullock carts or 8000000000000 cycles ? https://t.co/eNkKiYocTt
— Tajinder Bagga (Modi Ka Parivar) (@TajinderBagga) July 8, 2018
What Bagga has essentially pointed out is that if people keep looking at things in this way, then the country might as well continue travelling on bicycles. If anyone thinks that the country should not move to the next level because it costs money, clearly they are out of their minds. Perhaps the country should forego every highway project, every railway project, any developmental work, and remain in the stone ages. At least we would save crores of rupees.
Moreover, these projects give employment to millions of people. These projects are capable of turning around the economy, and are proving to be gamechangers. But wat can one expected from shortsighted politically motivated people.
Your tweet was factual. No one has anything against a Bullet Train. But it’s a terribly misplaced priority. While speaking on the Budget in Parliament used figures to show more Dedicated Freight Corridors could be made touching the lives of tens of millions instead of one BulletT
— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) July 8, 2018
Clearly, Ankit Lal doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Apart from getting his facts and his math wrong, something even a supposed luminary like Derek O’Brien couldn’t spot, he has managed to betray his anti-development mentality. Coming from a party which is used to shooting in the dark, this is no surprise. Most of the shooting-and-scooting they indulged in ended up in their eating crow, but clearly, that hasn’t stopped the AAP. Unfortunately for the opposition, the common man (the Aam Aadmi) has stopped buying their falsities.
