PM Modi virtually flags off Vande Bharat Express; Mamata upset at Howrah station

Hours after his mother's death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Vande Bharat Express from Ahmedabad, while West Bengal CM seemed visibly upset as she refused to get on the dais at the Howrah station.

Kolkata:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday virtually inaugurated the Vande Bharat Express and several development projects, hours after he performed the final rites of his mother Heeraben Modi. Modi was scheduled to reach Kolkata today to attend the historic inauguration that would have marked the 65th anniversary of the inauguration of the state's first electric train from the same station by the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru.

Meanwhile, high drama prevailed at Howrah Station as a visibly annoyed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to get up on the dais from where the Vande Bharat express was to be flagged off. Banerjee seemed upset by the loud sloganeering with 'Jai Shree Ram' chants from a section of the invited crowd at the railway station.

Attempts by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Governor C V Ananda Bose to pacify her did not bear fruit, as the chief minister chose to seat on a chair along with the audience. As the situation let off some steam, the Bengal CM expressed condolences for the Prime Minister's loss addressing him through the video conference.

"On behalf of the people of West Bengal, I thank you so much for giving us this opportunity. It's a sad day for you. Your mother means our mother also. May god give you the strength to continue your work, please take some rest," she said, referring to Prime Minister Modi, while speaking at the inauguration ceremony.

The first one in West Bengal, Vande Bharat Express would be connecting Howrah and New Jalpaiguri, the gateway to the northeast. The superfast train with modern passenger amenities will take around 7.5 hours on its run in both directions. Its service in the state will be run six days a week, and it will bring down travel time between Kolkata and Siliguri, the gateway to the Northeast considerably.

The train will leave the Howrah station at 6 am to reach the New Jalpaiguri station at 1.30 pm, and after a one-hour stopover, it will leave the north Bengal station at 2.30 pm and reach Howrah at 10 pm.