Poonam Mahajan travels by 'special train' from Bina to Bhopal;

Image
Press Trust of India Bhopal
Last Updated : Jun 02 2016 | 6:13 PM IST
BJP MP from Maharashtra Poonam Mahajan travelled by a special train to Bhopal from Bina district of Madhya Padesh two days back, raising questions of propriety but railways denied that any VIP treatment was meted out to her, saying it was sent for Union Minister Manoj Sinha.
"In fact the special train from Bhopal was sent for Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha to Sagar district as per protocol on May 31," Western-Central Railway (WCR) General Manager Ramesh Chandra said.
Sinha had gone to Sagar to attend a function where Poonam was also present. From there, Sinha and Poonam came to nearby Bina by a special train where the minister inaugurated a Railway Over Bridge (ROB), he said.
After the function, Sinha, as per his scheduled plan, was to return to Bhopal by the special train from where he had to catch a flight to Delhi. But as the function got delayed, Sinha changed his plan at the last moment and boarded a train from Bina for Delhi, the GM said.
"As the special train was to return to Bhopal, Poonam boarded it. Nothing should be read into it. It was a coincidence," he said.
According to railway rules, no special train can be run for MPs.
Chandra refuted the charge of any VIP treatment being meted out to Poonam, daughter of former Union Minister late Pramod Mahajan.
Seizing on the issue, MP Congress chief spokesman K K
Mishra said since Poonam was accorded VIP treatment against rules, action should be taken against the officials responsible.
By allowing the MP in a special train, the WCR authorities have violated the rules of Railways which do not permit such treatment to parliament members, he said.
"It should be probed whether Poonam bought a ticket to travel in the train or not...If she travelled without a valid ticket, she should be prosecuted," he added.
"Every MP has to buy a ticket for boarding a train," he said.
(REOPENS BES 22)
Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh
Chaudhary Munawwar Saleem demanded that an inquiry be conducted into the matter.
He said the treatment accorded to Mahajan was "totally unlawful".
"An inquiry should be conducted into it and officers concerned who flouted rules should be punished," Saleem said.
He said that the Maharashtra MP too might be aware that what she has done was totally wrong and unlawful.
"If the people in power start breaking rules what will happen to rule of the law in the country," he asked.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jun 02 2016 | 6:13 PM IST

Next Story