The Congress on Tuesday hit out at the Centre over the "delay" in the construction of Beed-Ahmednagar railway line in Maharashtra and asked why this crucial project has been languishing for 10 years now.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rallies in Beed and Ahmednagar.
"Will the Beed-Ahmednagar railway line ever be completed? Why has the BJP ignored the Dhangar community's demand for ST status? Did PM Modi deliver a jumla to Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj?" Ramesh said in a post on X.
Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh said the Beed-Ahmednagar railway line has been languishing for 10 years now.
"Residents of Beed have been eagerly awaiting this project and the education and employment opportunities it would unlock for them. When the BJP came to power in 2014, this crucial project was chosen to be directly monitored by the Prime Minister's Office. Yet, no work was undertaken in the next five years," he claimed.
Before the 2019 elections, a senior railway official said that the line would be completed by March 2020, but that deadline has also gone, Ramesh said.
"Now, the Central Railway has set a revised deadline of 2025-26. Why has this project been stalled for so long, even after receiving the PMO's support? What is the PM doing to ensure that this project meets its latest deadline?" he said.
The Dhangar community, which constitutes an estimated 9 per cent of Maharashtra's population, has been demanding ST status for years but in vain, he said.
"Effects of caste-based marginalisation are evident from the Dhangars' poor performance on Human Development Index indicators, but they have received no support from the Mahayuti government," he said.
Last year, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde made "vague commitments" about studying other states' methodologies to address their demands for reservation but no meaningful progress has been made, he claimed.
"In the Congress Party's 2024 Nyay Patra, we have promised to conduct a nationwide caste census to ensure that every backward community in India is able to access the opportunities they deserve. What is the PM doing to ensure the wellbeing of the Dhangar community?" he said.
Why have the BJP and their allies ignored the plight of the Dhangars, Ramesh asked.
Ramesh also said seven years ago, the prime minister laid the foundation stone for a 696 feet statue of Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea near Mumbai.
"It has since been silently abandoned by his government. Can the PM clarify if his Government will ever follow through on the project? What hope can Indians have from a man who has given jumlas even to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?" he said.
