Congress, Left Parties Question Centre's Decision to Invite Private Players in Railways Operations

The Congress on Thursday questioned the government over the hurry it has shown in inviting private players in passenger train operations, asking why one of the top employers in the world is doing so in the middle of a pandemic.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the government could have waited for a nod by Parliament by way of a law or resolution before taking the step.

"Why this mad rushing hurry? Could you not have waited to at least convene Parliament? You should pass a parliamentary law," he said during a virtual press conference. "If you cannot pass a law, at least you can pass a resolution of Parliament. If you don't want to call it a resolution, at least you can have a discussion in Parliament."

The Congress leader asked why the government has decided to go for privatisation of railway lines in the middle of coronavirus pandemic. "What is this mysterious mad hurry, what is the reason behind it," he asked.

The Left parties also opposed the Railways' decision, saying the move not only undermined the basis of India's self-reliant economy but was anti-people and should be cancelled.

In a statement titled, "Privatisation of Railways would mean self-subservience, not self-reliance", the CPI(M) said, "The private sector utilising the network established over centuries with all the required infrastructure will run passenger trains making super profits. The Indian Railways remains the most important network uniting our country and providing public transportation for crores of our people. The livelihood of crores of our people are dependent on the railways. Such privatisation undermines the basis of India's self-reliant economy."

It said contrary to the claim that the move will boost job generation, past experiences in other countries have shown that such privatisation results in huge job losses and creates insecurity among crores of employees.

"The Central Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi refuse to learn from international experience of how such privatisation of public transport has imposed unprecedented difficulties and burdens on the people. The Indian Railways is a public service. It is not a profit-generating enterprise. This character cannot be undermined," it said.

The party also criticised the move, saying the RFQ has been floated at a time when it is exposed how globally, as well as in the country, "reckless" privatisation of health facilities have hampered the fight against the coronavirus.

CPI, in a separate statement, alleged that the government is determined to hand over all the national assets and resources to the private corporates.

Congress slams Centre

Singhvi said the Indian Railways transported roughly 2.5 crore passengers per day, which was equal to Australia's population, and 7,500 crore people a year, besides a massive cargo movement. He said it is the second largest single network in Asia and the world's seventh largest employer, after entities like the Department of Defence of the US, Pentagon.

"With this step, are you decimating and destroying value for India, for the nation, for India's 'Shaan, Baan, Aan' by minimizing value," he said.

The Congress leader said common sense tells that the best time to get bids for individual lines is not in the middle of the pandemic. He alleged that the government is "squandering state largesse and throwing away valuable Indian resources by picking a time of this kind".