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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 2.2-km extension of the Airport Express Line from Dwarka Sector 21 to Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25 on Sunday.
Before the event, Mr. Modi took a ride on the metro from the Dhaula Kuan station to the newly built Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25 station.
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Many passengers interacted with the Prime Minister and clicked selfies with him.
Increased speed
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said the speed of the trains on the Airport Express Line had been increased from 110 kmph to 120 kmph.
The travel from the New Delhi metro station to the station in Dwarka Sector 25, an underground facility, will take around 21 minutes, the DMRC said in a statement.
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With the opening of this section, the DMRC’s network, including the Noida-Greater Noida corridor and the Rapid Metro in Gurugram, is now spread over 393 km and has a total of 288 stations.
Soon after the event, a war of words ensued between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi said not inviting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the ceremony showed that the PM was “narrow-minded”.
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Hitting back, the BJP said the ruling AAP government had never invited the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly or any Delhi BJP MP to its inauguration events.
‘Rise above party lines’
Atishi said the Centre and the Delhi government must work together to develop the national capital.
“The Prime Minister should rise above party lines. Not inviting the Chief Minister for an event of the DMRC, where the Delhi government has also made investments, reflects a very narrow-minded approach,” the Minister said. She urged Mr. Modi to “uphold the dignity of the Prime Minister’s Office [PMO]”.
In response, Delhi BJP general secretary Harsh Malhotra said, “Till the day the present Lieutenant-Governor took charge, the Kejriwal government never invited even the L-G for any inauguration event.”