NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Wednesday raised the issue of poor quality of food being served on Vande Bharat Express trains and urged the government to take strict action.
He also claimed in the Lok Sabha that there were several incidents of insects being found in the food on these trains.
"We all know that the honourable minister (Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw) takes a lot of interest in Vande Bharat operations… There were reports in February 2024, March 2024, June 2024, July 2024, August 2024, November 2024 and in the recent Vande Bharat from Tirunelveli to Chennai (that) there were insects," Tagore said.
"In all these months and others, there have been several incidents of insects being (found) in the food of Vande Bharat," he added while participating in a debate on the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Tagore expressed hope that strict action would be taken against such kind of "insect-driven food" being served on the train.
Participating in the discussions, the BJP's Anurag Sharma praised the government for the historic budget and said the speed and scale with which the government was working was commendable.
He requested the government that a Vande Bharat Express train be run between Bhopal and Lucknow.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi said the Bill was superficial at the outset.
The BJP's Radha Mohan Singh, however, expressed support for the Bill, saying it was "very positive".
He also said that rail accidents had come down in the past 10 years and electrification of rail tracks also picked up pace.
The railways, he said, progressed in the last 10 years and it was "progressing without any discrimination".
BJP MP Dhaval Laxmanbhai Patel said work had been done at a great pace since 2014.
Khagen Murmu of the BJP described the railways as the country's lifeline.