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MPs Showered with Gold, Silver, and More on Official Tour

MPs on a Railways tour accepted lavish gifts, including gold, silver, ATM cards, and coupons from entities they are responsible for overseeing and ensuring accountability.

By Neeraj Thakur
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MPs accept gold and silver on railway tour | The Probe

MPs Showered with Gold, Silver, and More on Official Tour | Photo courtesy: Special arrangement

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MPs Tour Turns into a Gold and Silver Bonanza

A recent controversy surrounding a Member of Parliament (MP) allegedly declining gifts during an official tour has attracted media attention, casting the MP in a favourable light for demonstrating integrity and restraint. Yet, a closer examination reveals that much of the media reporting on the story was inaccurate and based solely on the MP’s letter. 

However, as we dug deeper into the story, we realised that this was not merely about one MP being offered expensive gifts during an official tour, but about numerous MPs accepting lavish gifts—including gold coins, silver bars, prepaid shopping coupons, and even loaded ATM cards—from entities with vested interests in the Indian Railways. Shockingly, some MPs seem to view such behaviour as entirely acceptable.

The controversy erupted when Sudama Prasad, the MP representing the Ara Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar and a member of the CPI (ML) Liberation, penned a letter to another MP, CM Ramesh from the BJP, the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Railways. The letter addressed events that occurred during the study tour organised by the Ministry of Railways, attended by 16 of the 31 members of the Parliament Standing Committee on Railways. 

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Held between November 2 and 5, 2024, the tour was intended to evaluate key aspects of the Indian Railways, including the status and financing of expansion and upgrade projects, improvements to public facilities at railway stations, the quality of onboard services, and the role of railway PSUs in the sector’s growth and expansion. However, the seemingly routine nature of the tour concealed troubling undercurrents that would later call the integrity of such official visits into question.

In his letter, Sudama Prasad highlighted what he viewed as an unsettling deviation from customary practices of hospitality during such official tours. “I understand that it is a tradition to welcome Members of Parliament and guests with gifts as a gesture of warmth and hospitality. Flowers, shawls, paintings, and a few memora

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