PM selfie booths draw Opposition's ire, Congress says 'waste of taxpayers' money’

The railway ministry has spent Rs 6.25 lakh on every permanent 3D selfie booth with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image at railway stations, as per a reply obtained on a Right to Information (RTI) application. The cost for installing a temporary selfie booth is Rs 1.25 lakh, the RTI reply revealed.

The RTI response stoked a controversy. The Opposition slammed the selfie booths, with the Congress calling it a “brazen waste of taxpayers’ money”.

Sharing the RTI reply on X, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Self-obsessed promotion by Modi government knows no bounds! Absolutely brazen waste of taxpayers' money by installing Modi ji’s 3D selfie points at Railway Stations. (RTI Reply).”

The Congress chief alleged that earlier, the blood and sacrifice of the country's brave soldiers were politically used by ordering the armed forces to install 822 such selfie points with prominent cut-outs of PM Modi.

Kharge further slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre over the move, alleging that they were “splurging public money” on “cheap election stunts” while the states await MGNREGA funds, and drought and flood relief.

“Modi government hasn’t provided drought and flood relief to states. MGNREGA funds for opposition-ruled states are also pending. But it has the audacity to generously splurge public money on these cheap election stunts!,” Kharge said.

The temporary and permanent selfie booths have been installed at railway stations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Bhusaval, Pune, and Solapur divisions under the central railways.