Govt inviting private firms to operate trains will affect the poor: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hit out at the Centre over its move to invite private players in passenger train operations, alleging that the government is snatching the lifeline of the poor.

He said the people of the country will give a befitting reply to this.

"Railways is the only lifeline of the poor and the government is taking it away from them. Snatch whatever you wish to. But, do remember that the people of the country will give a befitting reply to this," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Railways on Wednesday formally kickstarted its plans to allow private entities to operate passenger trains on its network by inviting request for qualifications (RFQ) for participation on 109 pairs of routes through 151 modern trains, the national transporter has said.