‘Vice-Chancellor of WhatsApp University’: BJP MPs Pen Rebuttal on Kharge’s Letter to PM Modi

Former Karnataka chief minister Sadananda Gowda and three other BJP MPs from the southern state have written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, criticising him for his recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Odisha train accident.

Arguing that Kharge’s letter was “high on rhetoric and low on facts”, they said: “There was no collision in Mysore as stated in your letter. It doesn’t suit a leader of your stature to be writing letters to the PM based on facts got from ‘Whatsapp University’. But perhaps as the Vice-Chancellor of Whatsapp University, you are forced to regurgitate fake news as facts.”

Apart from Gowda, signatories to the letter include MPs Tejasvi Surya, PC Mohan and S Muniswamy.

In his letter to the PM, Kharge had flagged 10 points and urged the government to bring out the ‘real reason’ behind the Balasore triple-train accident that claimed 288 lives.

“In response to your recent letter to our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, we must say, we found it high on rhetoric and low on facts. As a former Minister of Railways, one would anticipate your discernment of the situation to be infused with depth and understanding, as you were at the helm between 2004 and 2014. Yet, your recent communication to us suggests otherwise,” the leaders said.

“You raise concerns about safety investments, yet under our tenure, the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) was established for critical safety-related works. Railways spent over Rs. 1 lakh cr on RRSK works between 2017-18 and 2021-22. Our total safety expenditure in the last 9 years of Rs. 1,78,012 cr is 2.5 times the expenditure during your era. It is amusing how you have the confidence to lecture us on rail safety after performing so miserably during the 10 years of UPA,” the letter to Kharge said.

In his letter, Kharge had questioned recruitment in Railways during Modi’s tenure, to which the BJP MPs replied: “In the past 9 years, Railways appointed 4.58 Lakh new appointees and currently recruitment process to appoint about 1.52 Lakh candidates is ongoing. Thus in our 10 years, we would appoint more than 6.1 lakh youngsters, which is almost 50 per cent more than of 4.11 Lakh candidates appointed during the 10 years of UPA. Secondly, the 5,518 freshly appointed Assistant Loco Pilots quash your allegations of neglecting this sector.”