Odisha train tragedy: ‘Neither responsibility nor…’ Congress demands Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation
1 min read 04 Jun 2023, 12:28 PM ISTCongress held press conference on Odisha train tragedy, demanding Railway Minister take responsibility. They criticized the Modi government for negligence and incompetence in railway management.
PremiumCongress on 4 June held press conference on Odisha train tragedy. The opposition party questioned the government on railway management. Congress media department head Pawan Khera said that Railway Minister should take responsibility over the triple train tragedy that killed 288 passengers.
While addressing the press conference, Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil and Khera alleged that the Odisha rail tragedy was a "man-made devastation caused by "utter negligence, serious lapses in the system, incompetence, and a narcissistic sense of know-it-all attitude of the Modi government".
Prime Minister Modi, who has announced that the guilty would be punished, must first start with his Railway Minister, Khera said.
“We don't look for political scores during human tragedy. Madhavrao Scindia, Nitish Kumar, and Lal Bahadur Shastri gave resignations on moral grounds. Railways Minister should take responsibility but Modi and morals travel in opposite directions, he said.
“Resigning means taking moral responsibility. Neither responsibility nor morality is visible in this government."
He further added, “Prime Minister, this country expects that the way Lal Bahadur Shastri ji, Nitish Kumar ji, Madhav Rao Scindia ji had resigned... in the same way you also take the resignation of your Railway Minister."
During his address, Khera also added that the budget for repair/renovation of track is decreasing every year in the Modi government. He further cited the CAG report which stated that there have been 1,127 incidents of train derailments between 2017 and 2021.
“The budget for repair/renovation of track is decreasing every year in the Modi government. Not only this... the budget that is there is not being used. We are not against high-speed train, but by showing 10-15 shining trains, you will make the whole structure hollow, this is not acceptable," he said.
Meanwhile, a PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a probe into the triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore by an expert panel headed by a retired judge of the apex court. The PIL also sought guidelines and directions for the implementation of the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System called KAVACH Protection System in Indian Railways with immediate effect to ensure public safety. 'Kavach' controls the speed of the train by automatic application of breaks in case the loco pilot fails to do so.
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