Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said "Make In India" programme needed a "rethink". (File)

Rahul Gandhi is "all talk with no actual work on the ground," Union Minister Piyush Goyal said today as he hit back at the Congress chief over his "Make in India" jibe for the second time.

Mr Goyal in a Facebook post also alleged that Congress "has a poor work ethic and wastes national resources".

The remarks came a day after Mr Gandhi in a Twitter post claimed the "Make in India" programme needed a "rethink". "Modi ji, i think Make in India needs a serious rethink. Most people feel it has failed. I assure you we in the Congress are thinking very deeply about how it will be done," he had posted.

He was referring to the Vande Bharat Express - India's fastest train - halting for over three hours during its return journey from Varanasi on Saturday. The train halted about 194 km from Delhi, a day after its launch, because of a technical issue possibly caused due to an "external hit", Indian Railways said in a clarification.

Mr Gandhi's tweet received a quick response from the union minister in less than two hours. "Your family had 6 decades to think, wasn't that enough?"

Such a shame that you choose to attack the hard work and ingenuity of Indian engineers, technicians and labourers. It is THIS mindset which needs a reset. 'Make In India' is a success and a part of crores of Indian lives. Your family had 6 decades to think, wasn't that enough? https://t.co/ebto2kTzst — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 16, 2019

In nearly 700-word Facebook post today, titled "A 'Make in India' Mirror to Shri Rahul Gandhi", Mr Goyal repeated that Mr Gandhi insulted "India's intelligence and hard work by mocking the 'Make in India' programme.

"For somebody who was unable to explain why Engineers Day is celebrated, he insulted the hardworking engineers of Railways who have put in backbreaking effort to build India's first indigenous semi-high speed train, the Vande Bharat Express. Rather than encouraging them, he has taunted them," Mr Goyal wrote elaborating his comment.

In a dig at the Congress, he said that the Congress-led UPA Government had promised to set up a coach factory in Raebareli, "Rahul Gandhi's family fiefdom for the last 70 years". "It is a live example of how the Congress makes empty promises, has a poor work ethic and wastes national resources," he wrote.

"Whereas Congress promised, we actually delivered on "Make in Raebareli," he said.

Earlier in the day, as the Vande Bharat Express left for Varanasi this morning for its commercial run, the Railways Minister had tweeted "Tickets sold out for the next two weeks already."

Vande Bharat Express left Delhi for Varanasi today morning on its first commercial run. Tickets sold out for the next two weeks already. Get yours today! pic.twitter.com/LwokUNHRJj — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 17, 2019

Vande Bharat Express was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.