Assam MP demands two trains be named after Vaishnavite saints Sankaradeva and Madhavdeva

BJP MP Dilip Saikia on Monday urged the railway ministry to name two long-distance trains from Assam to Delhi and Chennai in honour of revered Vaishnavite saints Srimanta Sankardeva and Srimanta Madhdeva, respectively. 

Participating in a debate on the Demands for Grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways for 2025-26, the MP from Assam's Darrang-Udalguri constituency also urged the government to start a Vande Bharat Express train between Dibrugarh and Guwahati via Rangia and Udalguri, besides a direct train from Guwahati to Odisha for the benefit of the 45 lakh people of Odisha-origin living in Assam.

"Two long-distance trains from Assam to Delhi and Chennai, respectively, should be named on Srimanta Sankardev and Srimanta Madhdev," he said.

Srimanta Sankaradeva was a 15th-16th century Assamese saint, scholar, poet, playwright, social reformer and founder of Assam's neo-Vaishnavite movement. 

Srimanta Madhavdev, the main disciple of Srimanta Sankaradeva, was a prominent Vaishnavite saint and known for his artistic brilliance. Referring to his Darrang-Udalguri constituency, Saikia said Darrang district did not have railway connectivity. 

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"I have requested the railway minister several times by meeting him personally and also through this House but there is no positive response so far. Please inform me about the current status," he said. 

Saikia also requested the Railways to restore halting points of several trains at stations such as Khoirabari, Dekargaon, Goreswar, Mazbat, Tangla and Udalguri that were done away with during the Covid pandemic. 

The BJP MP said the Narendra Modi government allocated Rs 2,65,200 crore for the Indian Railways during 2025-26, breaking all records. 

This allocation is six times higher than the Rs 45,900 crore allocated during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime, he said. In the last decade, a total of 31,180 kilometres of railway lines were laid while the Kavach security system was made operational along 4,876 kilometres of tracks, he said. 

The MP said the Railways electrified 21,000 kilometres of tracks since Independence to 2014 but, during the last 10 years, more than 60,000 kilometres had been electrified and the Railways would soon achieve its 100 per cent target. 

Later, Saikia said in a post on X, "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!"