Vande Bharat train reflects Gandhi's message of swadeshi: Shah

Mahatma Gandhi was a "superhuman" who forced a change in people's perspective towards life all over the world, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday and noted that Vande Bharat Express train reflected the "swadeshi" vision of the Father of the Nation as it was completely indigenous.

Shah, who flagged off the semi high-speed train here, also said that train journeys played a very big role in Gandhi's transformation as a leader of the freedom movement.

"Mahatma Gandhi was a superhuman who forced India but the entire world to change its perspective on life. He did not give any big speeches, no rich philosophy but it was through his work that he found the solutions for all the problems," Shah said.

He emphasized that the modern train which connects New Delhi with Katra in Jammu and Kashmir was made in India.

"Swadeshi was a very important message of Gandhiji and it became a major part of freedom movement. Today I am proud to say that a fully Swadeshi (indigenous) train is going to Katra from Delhi," he said.

Referring to the role of trains in Gandhi's life, Shah recalled the incident in South Africa when he was thrown off a train.

"The incident which brought out the Mahatma from Mohandas too happened in the bogey of a train, though it did not happen in India. Gandhiji was humiliated and thrown on the platform of a station, that is when he took the oath of throwing away the British rule," Shah said.

He said the BJP-led government was striving to follow the principles of Mahatma Gandhi.

"We have to spread Gandhi's eternal messages among the youth of the country. Yesterday we celebrated his 150th birth anniversary," Shah said.

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Harsh Vardhan and Jitendra Singh were among those present at the event.