India, July 17 -- Former Japanese Justice Minister Hideki Makihara has sharply criticised India's handling of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, blaming New Delhi for repeated delays and calling its approach "sheer recklessness." In a post on social media, Makihara alleged that India had sidelined Japan in key aspects of the high-speed rail project, including the signalling system, which he described as critical for operational safety.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor is India's first bullet train project and is being developed with financial and technical assistance from Japan.

While the project has faced delays over the years due to factors such as land acquisition and construction challenges, recent reports indic...