Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday travelled from Mumbai to Shirdi aboard the Vande Bharat Express, continuing the state government’s public austerity and fuel-conservation
campaign inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal for responsible fuel usage. He shared his travel experience and thanked PM Modi for this 'gift' to the country.
Sharing his experience on X after boarding the train from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Fadnavis praised India’s indigenous semi-high-speed rail network. “Loved travelling from Mumbai to Shirdi by Bharat’s very own #VandeBharat express. Thank you Hon PM @narendramodi Ji for this gift to our Nation!” the Chief Minister posted.
Visuals from CSMT showed Fadnavis arriving at the station amid heavy security before boarding the Mumbai-Shirdi Vande Bharat train for the nearly five-hour journey to the temple town.
The move comes at a time when rising global crude oil prices and repeated hikes in petrol and diesel rates have triggered growing concerns over fuel consumption and transportation costs across the country. Maharashtra has in recent weeks attempted to project an image of administrative austerity and symbolic fuel conservation through a series of public gestures by top leaders.
Fadnavis’ latest train journey comes days after he had earlier travelled from Pune to Bengaluru on a commercial IndiGo flight in economy class instead of using the state government’s chartered aircraft. Officials described the move as part of the broader effort to reduce expenditure and promote fuel-saving measures.
This follows his widely discussed motorcycle ride earlier this month from his official residence, 'Varsha' in Malabar Hill to Vidhan Bhavan in South Mumbai. The Chief Minister had then said symbolic actions by leaders help create awareness among citizens regarding fuel conservation. BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar had accompanied him during the bike ride, which drew both praise and criticism from political opponents.
The Chief Minister had also defended the government’s austerity campaign, stating that Maharashtra had already begun implementing several cost-cutting measures. These include reducing ministerial convoys, restricting unnecessary foreign trips by ministers and bureaucrats, and avoiding large-scale government events for the next six months.
“The Prime Minister has only asked people to make small sacrifices while himself taking very tough decisions,” Fadnavis had said earlier while responding to criticism from Opposition parties. The austerity push has also seen Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar travelling in electric vehicles to Vidhan Bhavan and Mantralaya in recent weeks.
