Ara MP Returns Gold Coin, Silver Bar Gifted by Railway PSUs, Calls Them Unethical

Ara Member of Parliament (MP) and CPI(ML) leader, Sudama Prasad has received widespread commendation for his principled stand in returning a gold coin and a silver bar given to him as gifts by Railway PSUs during a Parliamentary Standing Committee tour of South India.

Prasad, who serves on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways, was presented with a one-gram gold coin and a 100-gram silver bar by RITES and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) during a study tour in Bengaluru on November 1. Upon realizing the nature of the gifts, Prasad took immediate action.

He penned a letter to CM Ramesh, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, voicing his disapproval and returned the items in front of fellow committee members.

In his letter, Prasad condemned the gesture as "unethical," emphasizing that it veered dangerously close to corruption. He explained that the gifts had been handed to him late in the evening, and he had initially refrained from inspecting them due to the exhaustion from the day’s activities. However, upon closer inspection, he was taken aback to find the gold coin and silver bar and questioned the ethics behind such a gesture from Indian Railways.

Prasad expressed his concern that the gifts were an attempt to "silence" MPs from raising pertinent issues affecting the public. He criticized the organizations for their actions, which, in his view, not only breached ethical standards but also undermined the integrity of the parliamentary process. He pointed out that at a time when railway passengers are grappling with safety issues, rising fares, inadequate facilities, and poor treatment, such gestures from public sector undertakings (PSUs) were highly inappropriate.

In his remarks, Prasad also highlighted the dire conditions of sanitation workers at railway stations, many of whom are denied minimum wages and subjected to harsh working environments under exploitative contractors. He further expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment of passengers, particularly in general and sleeper compartments, and lamented the lack of new trains catering to the poor and middle class, noting that the focus seemed to be solely on Vande Bharat trains.

On November 2, Prasad publicly placed the returned gifts in front of the committee, expressing his "dissatisfaction and anger" over being treated in such a manner by the PSUs. His firm stand on the matter has earned him recognition for upholding ethical standards and advocating for the public interest.