The Congress on Monday (December 22, 2025) demanded the resignation of Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, accusing the government of distracting taxpayers with irrelevant issues, to hike train fares on the sly, at a time when the condition of the national carrier has deteriorated.
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The Congress flagged that train fares had been raised twice since June 2024 when the Narendra Modi government came to power for the third time. Addressing a press conference at the Indira Bhawan headquarters of the party, Congress leader Ajoy Kumar said Mr. Vaishnaw had smartly increased the fare by one paisa or two paise per km, but it burdend the common public “by ₹100-₹200”.
He asserted that the Railways are the “backbone of India’s economy”, not a means to “make profit”. Mr. Kumar called Mr. Vaishnaw a “reel minister”, not a “rail minister”, accusing him of focusing on digital content as opposed to the core issues of the Railways.
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