Kerala: Passengers stage black cloth protest claiming delay in trains due to Vande Bharat

Ernakulam (Kerala) [India], November 20 : Annoyed over the alleged inordinate delay in train services, passengers in Kerala's Ernakulam launched a protest against Indian Railways, claiming that trains were running late due to Vande Bharat Express trains.
As a symbol of protest, the passengers covered their faces with black cloth and held posters with slogans written on them.

The commuters also gathered at the station and demanded a change in the schedule of Vande Bharat trains.

Speaking on the matter, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP A M Ariff said, "It is causing inconvenience to the passengers. I have already submitted so many requests and complaints to the railway authorities. They are saying that they are verifying the complaint."
"Next time, I am going to meet the Minister and Railway Board Chairman on the matter. The main issue is that the time scheduled is changed for running the Vande Bharat Express train," Ariff added.
Earlier in October, similar complaints about the train services were raised by passengers from various parts of the state.
They alleged that several passenger trains were halted at various points to ensure the smooth operation of Vande Bharat trains.
The complaint is that the two Vande Bharat trains, which run up and down every day six days a week, are given the right of way at the expense of short-distance trains and their thousands of daily commuters, mainly office-goers and students.
The daily commuters are now protesting claiming that the railways' practice of holding back multiple trains to let the high-profile and more expensive Vande Bharat.