Do people want easy rail travel or picture with 'shahenshah's' statue: Rahul in dig at govt

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a swipe at the government over setting up of selfie booths at railway stations with life-size cutouts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether people want easy rail travel or a picture with the "shahenshah's statue".

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "Fares for every class of 'Garibo Ki Sawaari', Indian Railways have been increased. Even the fare concession given to the elderly was withdrawn. Platform ticket prices were increased and the door for privatisation was opened." He said, "Was this money, which is being squeezed out of the public's hard-earned money, for making a selfie stand? What do the people of India want? Cheap gas cylinders and easy rail travel? Or Picture with 'shahenshah's statue'?" Gandhi's attack on the government came days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said setting up selfie booths at railway stations with photographs of Modi is a "brazen waste" of taxpayers' money while opposition states await MGNREGA funds.

Kharge had also shared a copy of a reply obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act that listed the stations under the Central Railway where temporary and permanent selfie booths have been installed.