Opposition Hindu parties on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s central government over the train accident in West Bengal that killed at least seven passengers and two employees.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that the Railway Ministry under the Bharatiya Janata Party government is not concerned about passenger convenience, saying the government is only concerned about elections.
“The government does not care about railway employees, railway engineers, railway technical staff, labourers. They are also in trouble. Their pensions have been seized. I am completely with the railway employees and railway staff. They are trying their best. But this government only thinks about elections. How to hack, how to manipulate, how to rig elections… I think the government should spend more time on governance,” she said.
The accident occurred on Monday morning at Rangapani near New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal when a goods train collided with the Kanchanjunga Express.
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The dead included a passenger train conductor and a freight train engineer.
RJD leader Misa Bharti demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav.
“This train accident is extremely sad. My condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. My thoughts are with them. May God give them strength. The government should look into the matter more thoroughly and the Railway Minister should take responsibility and resign,” she said.
Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Indian National Congress party, said the Modi government had turned ministries and departments into what he called camera-driven platforms for self-promotion.
Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress party, said the accident was “a direct result of mismanagement and negligence by the Narendra Modi government”.
Also read: What is Kavachi, the anti-collision system missing from Kanchanjunga Express route?
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav visited the train crash site in West Bengal on Monday to assess the situation and promised that the Board of Railway Safety would investigate the incident.
“A thorough investigation will be conducted by the Board of Railway Safety. The rescue operation is over and focus is now on restoration. This is the main line. We will investigate the cause of the accident and take appropriate preventive measures for future,” the Union Minister said.
The PTI news agency reported that the actual death toll could be higher than 15.
Information provided by the institution
