Illa defends Puente after his resignation: "Not all of us are the same"

The president of the Generalitat defends the PSOE's management in Transport and supports the minister despite his resignation. Junts and the Comuns are asking for more explanations about Rodalies.

The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has come to the defence of the management that the PSOE has carried out over eight years at the helm of the Ministry of Transport and Urban Mobility, and also of the work of Óscar Puente, even though the minister has already submitted his resignation. According to Ultima Hora, he said this during the control session of the Govern held this Wednesday in the Parlament, in response to questions from Junts.

Illa expressed his support for the minister and highlighted his way of acting: "I am a friend of Minister Óscar Puente. I appreciate his sincerity. I appreciate that he always faces the issues. And I appreciate that he is a man who works and can show results."

The president recalled that Puente has provided extensive explanations before the Congress and the press. Furthermore, he defended that with the PSOE leading the central government, there have been advances in the railway network, particularly in Catalonia, to reverse what he called "investment drought." He admitted, however, that it is necessary to regain users' trust in the system, something that, in his opinion, is a task for everyone.

The president of Junts in the Parlament, Mònica Sales, rejected this assessment and described the socialist management as disastrous and shameful. She even suggested to Illa that he follow Puente's example: "They could follow the example."

Sales also accused the president of defending the indefensible to protect the PSOE, and posed several questions about the minister: "Will you say you are proud of Minister Puente? Exactly of what? Of the frivolities? Of the arrogance? Of adding two tragedies to his record? Of his disinvestment in Rodalies? Or that in the worst railway crisis in Catalonia he did not even bother to set foot?".

Illa responded to the complaint that Junts has filed against Renfe and Adif in the courts. According to the president, the problems of the network "are not solved" in the courts, but by governing. He also reminded that Junts appointed a representative aligned with the party on Renfe's board of directors.

The leader of the Comuns in the Chamber, Jéssica Albiach, called for a thorough debate on the railway model, beyond the minister's resignation. She suggested rethinking the liberalisation and outsourcing of the network, and warned that "cutting ends up having dramatic consequences".

Albiach urged Illa to pressure the government to "protect the train as a public service". She also called for an audit of the network, to not plan more high-speed rail until the safety of the current one is guaranteed, to size the resources appropriately, and to prioritise trains over projects such as the expansion of the Barcelona Airport.

Illa agreed with Albiach on the need for a "clear and distinct presence of the State" in the railway network. However, he rejected that the airport expansion is related to the lack of maintenance of the trains, as he stated that this project is financed with airport fees.