Flags off Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express

Hyderabad: Taking a dig at some political parties who approached the Supreme Court alleging arbitrary use of central probe agencies against opposition leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Apex court gave them a “jolt” by refusing to entertain their plea.
The PM was addressing a public meeting here.
“A few days ago some political parties went to the court seeking protection that no one should seek to inquire our books filled with corruption. They went to court, but court gave them a jolt,” Modi said, without taking any names.
He was talking about corruption and “parivarvad” at the public meeting.
Recently as many as 14 political parties led by the Congress filed a petition in the Apex Court alleging that there has been an alarming rise in the use of coercive criminal processes against opposition political leaders and other citizens exercising their fundamental right to dissent.
However, the Supreme Court, refusing to entertain the plea, observed that politicians do not have “higher immunity”.
On April 5, a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala expressed disinclination to entertain the petition, saying courts are always there for taking up the grievances of political leaders as they do for common citizens.
Modi was in the city to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 11,300 crore in Telangana besides flagging off the Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister on Saturday flagged off Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, second in the day, after Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express from Secunderabad Railway Station in Telangana.
PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of road projects worth about Rs 3,700 crore at the public programme at Alstrom cricket ground, Chennai. The projects include the inauguration of a 7.3-km long elevated corridor in Madurai and a 24.4-km long four-lane road of National Highway 785. Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the construction of road projects of National Highway-744. The project worth more than Rs 2,400 crore will boost inter-state connectivity between Tamil Nadu and Kerala and ensure a convenient journey for pilgrims visiting Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Andal Temple in Srivilliputhur and Sabarimala in Kerala, the PMO stated.
Earlier in January, PM Modi had flagged off India’s eighth Vande Bharat Express between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam.
The inauguration of the train on the new route comes one week after the Prime Minister flagged off the latest Vande Bharat on the Bhopal-New Delhi route.
The Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express has stops at Nalgonda, Guntur, Ongole, and Nellore stations while it covers its 660 km journey between the cities.
It is pertinent to note that Vande Bharat Train is an indigenously manufactured, semi-high speed and self-propelled train set. The train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities. It will provide a faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience to rail users.
PTI/Agencies

Press Trust of India