A senior BJP leader criticizing the Modi Government, its ministers is a sellable news any given day and that’s what Laxmi Kanta Chawal became. A nice juicy scoop of a BJP insider ranting against the Modi Government. The left-liberal media outlets enthusiastically spread an angry video rant of senior BJP leader and the former cabinet minister in Punjab government- Laxmi Kanta Chawla. In the video, senior BJP leader is seen complaining against the train delay and inadequate facilities available for passengers in the Saryu-Yamuna Express. She also claimed in the video that the Ticket Checking Staff had taken some money in an unauthorized manner. Her remark about the bullet train was totally unwarranted.
However, the Northern Railways division clarified that the TTE (Travelling Ticket Examiner) travelling on that particular train and the assigned coach was merely performing his duty. It was well within his purview to issue Excess Fare Ticket (EFT) to persons travelling on the train coach without a valid ticket. The EFT receipt is issued for the fare amount and the penalty money collected from the passengers. The TTE has in this regard submitted the EFTs issued on the particular train to the concerned authorities of the Railways. Contrary to Ms. Chawla’s claims of the train running ‘very late’, the Saryu-Yamuna Express reached the Delhi Railway station merely 7 minutes after the scheduled time. The train after crossing Delhi was running on a diverted route as the section between Roza-Lucknow was affected due to the derailment of a Goods Train. The Railways authority has conducted a preliminary inquiry on the alleged complaint and the report is scheduled to be submitted in a weeks’ time.
While Railways has cleared its stand in the issue, it won’t be unwise to say that Laxmi Kanta Chawla’s video has done some damage to the image of the government and Indian Railways. Left-liberal media outlets took no time in latching on to this gift from the heavens, some even used to opine about some factionalism within the party in Punjab and discontent among senior BJP leaders against PM Modi. Laxmi Kanta Chawla’s video has come at a time when the state party leadership is preparing for a rally in Gurdaspur on January 3 to be addressed by PM Modi. A senior party leader said Chawla’s remark at this point of time is really unfortunate.
State BJP Chief, Shwait Malik declined to comment on the development and described Laxmi Kanta Chawla was a “motherly figure”. He also appreciated the development works done by the Modi government at Amritsar Railway station. The Indian Express quoted him saying, “I am only clarifying certain things because it is not correct to say that nothing has been done for the past four years of governance by Modiji. If you take Amritsar alone, to which Chawla ji and I belong, then ten new platforms are being added to the railway station and three new platforms at Chheharta railway station. A new rail link from Amritsar to Mumbai through Rajasthan has also been approved but is pending because the Punjab government has not been able to allot land for the project.”
The 77-year-old Lakshmi Kanta Chawla is known as a fiery politician and is well known for speaking out her mind. This belligerent attitude of hers has in past created many obstacles for the BJP leadership in Punjab.
Chawla has never been much of a team player. When the SAD-BJP coalition was ruling the state, she had many times lambasted Prakash Singh Badal and his family on many issues.
In 2017, she mocked BJP government of Haryana over Dera Search operation. She had said that by looking at preparations for checking Dera, it appears that government is looking for a high profile terrorist location. Laxmi Kanta Chawla had also slammed CM Fadnavis and Maharashtra government.
Very recently, she attacked Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani over her remarks on women of all age groups wanting to visit the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala. Laxmi Kanta Chawla had said that the Union minister had no right to remain in central leadership. According to a UNI report, Ms Chawla sarcastically said that it would be better if Ms Irani suggests to the union government that all working women, school and college going girls should be granted four days mandatory leave during their menstrual cycle so that they do not visit educational and judicial institutes as well as lower house and upper house of the parliament, which are also sacred places.
Laxmi Kanta Chawla had also criticized PM Modi’s demonetization move and had said that the move has troubled the people and the nation as a whole.
Laxmi Kanta Chawla while a senior leader and possibly someone who has her heart at the right place has a special fondness for criticizing his party workers, leaders and even the top leadership, mostly for the heck of it. Developed, nurtured and modernised by Suresh Prabhu and later Piyush Goyal, Indian Railways remains the crown jewel of Modi Government’s work in the last 4.5 years. And in that light Chawla’s criticism of Indian Railways is not just ill-timed, but also negligent and very unfortunate.