Railway fare hike marks 'beginning of black days' under Narendra Modi: Partap Singh Bajwa

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa today termed the decision to hike railway fare as "anti-people" and said it "marked beginning of the black days" under the Narendra Modi government.

In a statement here, Bajwa said the Centre's move would fuel further rise in prices of essential commodities, adding to the people's woes.

Within days of coming to power on the slogan of 'achchhe din aane wale hai', the NDA government had started implementing its hidden agenda, he said, adding that the government did not even wait for presentation of regular rail budget to announce the hike.

"This government stands exposed in the beginning itself. The people should brace up for more trouble in the coming days. It is only now that the people who voted for change in the hope of better days would look back and start recalling the pro-people attitude of the UPA government," Bajwa said.

He said the UPA government had never resorted to such massive hike of 14.2 per cent in rail fares which would hit the common man hard.

The Congress leader challenged Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, whose SAD is an NDA constituent, to take a stand against this "anti-people decision" of the Centre.

Bajwas said the people of Punjab had the right to know whether Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who represents the SAD at the Centre, had recorded her protest against this hike or not.