THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the UDF and the BJP, who tried to sabotage the K-Rail project by highlighting the Vandebharat train service, are silent now. The Chief Minister's criticism comes in the context of union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's statement that allowing Vande Bharat in Kerala is not being considered at the moment.

Including the ones, who said that the Vande Bharat train can run in Kerala by straightening the curves, are silent after the union minister's reply. The Chief Minister said that the silence when Kerala is denied its deserving railway development is criminal and Ashwini Vaishnaw's statement is unfortunate and the subject should be reconsidered.

Even in the first week of February 2023, the Union Railway Minister had repeatedly stated that the Vande bharat express will reach Kerala soon. It is a mystery that the Ministry of Railways has now backed away from this. The Chief Minister alleged that this is the latest in a series of steps to make Kerala irrelevant from the railway map of the country.