Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw faced fierce criticism and a wave of memes on social media after the Opposition branded him the “Reel Minister” during a heated session in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The mocking label stems from accusations that Vaishnaw prioritizes his social media image over addressing critical safety concerns within the railway sector.
The Opposition’s barbs followed a series of recent train derailments, with the latest incident occurring on July 30 near Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, where 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed, resulting in two deaths and 22 injuries. In response, the Congress and other parties have intensified their scrutiny, accusing Vaishnaw of neglecting essential safety measures.
During his speech in the Lower House, Vaishnaw, visibly angered, accused the previous Congress-led administrations of failing to implement Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems. However, this did little to quell the criticism from the Opposition, who continued to highlight his perceived focus on social media.
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal further fueled the debate by calling Vaishnaw a “reel minister” and a “derail minister,” leading to a sharp retort from Vaishnaw, who told Beniwal to “shut up.” The exchange quickly went viral, sparking a meme-fest on platforms like Twitter and Instagram, where users flooded timelines with satirical content mocking the minister.
Congress representatives pointed out that Vaishnaw’s tenure has seen three major accidents in June and July alone, costing 17 lives. They argue that the lack of accountability and tangible improvements in railway safety infrastructure under his leadership is concerning.
