Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday flagged off a new MEMU train connecting Nilgiri, the first princely state to merge with Odisha after the country’s independence, with Balasore.

Launching the Nilgiri-Gopinathpur-Balasore new MEMU train, Vaishnaw said: “I raised the issue of how Nilgiri was yet to be connected with the railway network with the Prime Minister. I also narrated the rich history of Nilgiri which after Jammu and Kashmir was first the princely state to be merged with India. But it is yet to find a place on the railway network. The Prime minister immediately gave the go-ahead. Now the Nilgiri has found a place on India’s rail map.”

Taking a dig at the Opposition, Vaishnaw said: “There are many people who had no willpower to see Odisha a developed state. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has taken the pledge to usher a new era in Odisha’s development.”

Coming down heavily on the Opposition who maintain that the train would stop plying after the election, the Union minister said: “After the election, those who are saying these things should come and ask for forgiveness. The train will continue to run after the election.”

The minister also reminded the people how Odisha was getting priority in railway development after Modi came to power. “Before 2014, Odisha used to get only Rs 800 crore. But now Odisha is getting more than Rs 10,000 crore in the railway sector. Odisha was a victim of the stepmotherly attitude of the Centre. Now one after another project is being taken up here for railway development in the state.”

Vaishnaw also reminded people that it was the Modi government that was giving free rice to people. He made it clear that the free rice scheme was not that of the Odisha government as claimed by it. “Now poor people don’t sleep hungry. Modi has been able to create confidence and trust among the poor across the country.”