‘Naraz Fufa’ has found something new to complain about: PM Modi on Dedicated Freight Corrido

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took a swipe at critics of his government's infrastructure push, reviving his “Naraz Fufa” (angry uncle) jibe while highlighting the completion of India's 2,800-km Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) network.

Addressing the ‘NaMo for Viksit Bharat’ programme in Vadodara, Modi said the freight corridor would strengthen India's trade and business infrastructure and described its completion as a “historic achievement for the 21st century”.

Taking a dig at those questioning the impact of the project on the road transport sector, Modi said, “Now Naraz Fufa ji will start shouting: what would happen to truck drivers and the trucks they had purchased?”

“This Fufa ji has found something new to complain about,” he said, without naming anyone.

Modi said the scale of freight movement on the corridor was already demonstrating its potential. A double-stack container freight train recently carried cargo equivalent to more than 250 trucks in a single trip from Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai to Vadodara, he said.

“Dedicated freight corridors are the lifeline of a fast-developing India. India’s transformation is accelerating because of this modern freight network,” the Prime Minister said.

Freight movement gets faster

The DFC separates freight movement from passenger rail traffic, allowing goods trains to operate on dedicated routes. Modi said a freight journey that earlier took 6.5 hours over 100 km can now be completed in less than half the time, while a 30-hour truck journey can be reduced to 10-12 hours on the corridor.

“After 2014, with your blessings, when I reached Delhi, and as soon as we arrived there, we began accelerating this project. Work on the 2,800 km dedicated freight corridors has been completed today,” he said.

“Today, the Eastern and Western Freight Corridors are becoming the main backbone of the country's trade and business,” Modi added, noting that more than 430 freight trains operate daily on the two corridors.

He also contrasted the project's progress with its long gestation. “The idea for the Dedicated Freight Corridor began in 2004. In 2006, a special company was established to carry out the work, and until 2014, files just kept shuffling from one place to another,” Modi said.

“Unfortunately, even these files weren't fortunate enough to get a dedicated corridor. The files would get stuck, hang around and wander aimlessly,” he added.

‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’ remark

Modi also took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ youth outreach initiative, saying young Indians would not be misled by what he called “Jhooth Ki Goonj” (echo of lies).

“At every nook and corner, you will find people who will try to mislead you through 'Jhooth Ki Goonj', but today's youth will stand with the truth,” he said.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the government's focus on manufacturing and energy, saying India was building an ecosystem spanning “chips to ships” and urging young Indians to develop expertise in artificial intelligence.

He said the infrastructure push across railways, roads, metros, airports and housing was not only improving connectivity but also creating employment opportunities. (With inputs from PTI)