Gandhinagar: Addressing a gathering after flagging off the country’s first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati railway station, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that the Congress rule was marked by scams and corruption during its tenure, while no one had been able to level a corruption charge against the Modi govt over the past 12 years.Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with transforming the country’s railways and urged people to challenge the Congress, which he accused of making baseless claims, to a discussion based on facts and figures.“The dedicated freight corridor, rapid rail system and premium railway stations were all started under Modiji. By introducing a hydrogen-powered train, he has placed India among a select group of countries with such technology,” Shah said.Taking a swipe at the Congress, Shah said people should ask the party to debate using facts and figures. “You did nothing except fraud, scams and corruption worth Rs 12 lakh crore. But no one has been able to accuse Modi of corruption of even four annas in 12 years,” he said.Shah also flagged off a WAG-12 electric locomotive from Sabarmati station, inaugurated and laid foundation stones for railway projects worth more than Rs 1,500 crore. The projects include line doubling works, the Kavach train protection system, an automatic signalling system, and a WAG-12 electric locomotive maintenance shed.Shah said the railways had undergone significant modernisation since Modi took office in 2014. He noted that an 11,000-km rail corridor is being converted into a four-track network to improve traffic movement and operational efficiency.Highlighting the impact of the Make in India initiative, Shah said Indian Railways had substantially reduced its dependence on diesel. “Railways consumed 293 crore litres of diesel in 2015-16. This came down to 108 crore litres in 2024-25, and is expected to reach zero by 2030. This will result in major savings of foreign exchange,” he said.He added that railway electrification had reached 99.6%, with the remaining stretch expected to be completed soon. Comparing India with other countries, Shah said electrification stands at 92% in China, 68% in Spain, 60% in France and 49% in the UK, and India is on track to achieve full electrification.Referring to Gujarat, Shah said the state’s railway budget allocation, which stood at Rs 589 crore during 2009-14, has increased to Rs 17,366 crore in 2026-27.
