Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary meets Ashwini Vaishnaw in Delhi

New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary met the Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw here on Tuesday, to request the operation of special trains in view of the upcoming 'Chhath Puja' festival.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, CM Choudhary said: "I came to request Railway Minister Ashwini ji to run special trains as a large number of people from Bihar return to the state to celebrate Diwali and Chhath."

"Last year, more than 10,000 trains were operated, so we have requested that special trains be run this time as well so that residents of Bihar can return to state, particularly to celebrate Chhath Puja," he added.

CM Choudhary also said that he has requested the launch of a Vande Bharat train service from Sitamarhi in Bihar to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

According to Hindu beliefs, Sitamarhi is linked to the origins of Goddess Sita while Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Bihar CM attended a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the Centre and state government on the utilisation of river silt for national highway projects.

Addressing a gathering at the event, CM Choudhary said: "Bihar has only two weaknesses, one is population and the other is water. Today, under the leadership of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, I am grateful for such a big agreement. Now the second biggest challenge for Bihar is water management. I assure you that after this river Sanjeevani agreement, Bihar will be economically strong."

On Monday, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Samrat Choudhary's visit to Delhi is being viewed as significant from both administrative and political perspectives.

A meeting between the Chief Minister and BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde is also on the agenda, although its timing has not yet been finalised.

CM Choudhary is expected to discuss the BJP's organisational structure in Bihar with Tawde.

The discussions are likely to focus on strengthening the party organisation and making its cadre more active and effective at the grassroots level.

The two leaders may also review the results of the recently concluded Bihar Legislative Council elections, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party contested four seats and won two, recording a 50 per cent strike rate.

The election outcome and the party's organisational performance are expected to figure prominently in their discussions.

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