Railway Ministry Responds: WillTwo Iconic Trains be Named after Assam’s Vaishnavite Saints Sankaradeva and Madhavdeva?

In a recent debate on the Demands for Grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways for 2025-26, BJP MP Dilip Saikia urged the government to take measures to enhance railway connectivity in Assam. He specifically requested the naming of two long-distance trains from Assam to Delhi and Chennai after revered Vaishnavite saints Srimanta Sankardeva and Srimanta Madhdeva.

Sankardeva, a 15th-16th century Assamese saint, scholar, poet, and social reformer, is credited with founding Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite movement. Madhavdev, his primary disciple, is renowned for his artistic brilliance. Saikia, the MP from Assam’s Darrang-Udalguri constituency, has a personal connection to the issue, having met with the railway minister and made appeals, but received no positive response so far.

The MP also sought the restoration of halting points for several trains at stations like Khoirabari, Dekargaon, Goreswar, Mazbat, Tangla, and Udalguri, which were discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic. To further enhance connectivity, Saikia proposed the introduction of a Vande Bharat Express train between Dibrugarh and Guwahati via Rangia and Udalguri, as well as a direct train from Guwahati to Odisha to cater to the demands of the 45 lakh people of Odisha origin living in Assam.

Saikia’s demands came as the Narendra Modi administration has allocated a record Rs 2,65,200 crore for the Indian Railways in 2025-26, a significant increase from the Rs 45,900 crore allocated during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. Since 2014, the Modi government has made significant strides in modernizing the railways, including laying 31,180 km of new tracks, introducing the Kavach security system along 4,876 km of tracks, and electrifying over 60,000 km of tracks.

The MP continues to raise the importance of strengthening railway connectivity and infrastructure for the benefit of his constituents. In a post on social media, he noted, “Today in Parliament, I raised key issues, including the railway network in Darrang, which falls under my parliamentary constituency, and other important concerns related to the railway department. Committed to strengthening railway connectivity and infrastructure for the people of my region!”

Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/assam-mp-demands-two-trains-be-named-after-vaishnavite-saints-sankaradeva-and-madhavdeva-1185124-2025-03-17?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2025-03-17 20:55:00