Sampla, Chandumajra in credit war over Jaijon train

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, a credit war was seen between alliance partner leaders — Union MoS Vijay Sampla and SAD Anandpur Sahib MP Prem S Chandumajra — over the flagging off of the Jaijon-Amritsar train today.

While Sampla performed the ceremony at Jaijon (which falls in his Hoshiarpur LS constituency), Chandumajra took the credit of the project by flagging it off from the next station — Nawanshahr (which falls in his Anandpur Sahib LS segment). In separate functions and separate photoshoots, both claimed that the train had started because of their individual efforts.

Accompanied by BJP national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna at Jaijon, Sampla said, “It is a day of accomplishment of my dream. It is possible due to my persistent efforts and continuous follow up at the Centre. The train which earlier used to ferry Jaijon residents up to Jalandhar will now be reaching Amritsar. My next mission will be to expand this route to Ropar and further to Chandigarh.”

Chandumajra, through whose constituency the train will pass, claimed, “My endeavour after getting elected from Anandpur Sahib has been to provide good railway connectivity to this region. Today, I have fulfilled my election promise.” The train was also reportedly flagged off at the next halt at Phagwara by BJYM leaders. Phagwara, too, is a part of the Hoshiarpur LS segment.

The project was announced in March 2015 by the then Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu on his visit to Khatkar Kalan at the martyrdom day function of Bhagat Singh.

Congress MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal, in whose constituency Jaijon falls, called it a “jumlebaazi”.