Political tussle begins in Bengal over Odisha train accident
Kolkata (IANS) | Political rhetoric has started in West Bengal regarding the Odisha train accident after Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav. Responding to Abhishek Banerjee’s demand, Shubhendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, questioned whether Mamata Banerjee, as Railway Minister, was taking moral responsibility for the May 2010 Jhargram, West Bengal derailment of the Dnyaneshwari Express. Why didn’t you resign? In which 150 people were killed. Mamta Banerjee should do some introspection before doing politics on such a tragedy, the official said.
In response to the officer, state Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that Subhendu Adhikari was with the Trinamool Congress at the time of the Dnyaneshwari Express derailment. His comments are usually meaningless, Ghosh said.
Demanding the immediate resignation of the Railway Minister, Abhishek Banerjee also made a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. He said, the Prime Minister often talks about ‘Digital India’, but the anti-collision system was neglected. Had this arrangement been in place, such an accident could have been avoided. A separate commission should be set up to probe the matter.
He questioned that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is always ready to take credit for starting the Vande Bharat Express, why is he not taking responsibility for the accident.
BJP national vice-president and Lok Sabha MP Dilip Ghosh said the Prime Minister’s arrival at the accident site proved how serious he was about his work.
He said, even before this there have been many train accidents. But I don’t remember any other Prime Minister reaching the crash site, which Narendra Modi did. A large number of passengers traveling by train were migrant workers. It is a matter of shame that under Mamta Banerjee’s rule the situation of employment generation is so pathetic that thousands of people have to go elsewhere for their livelihood.
–IANS
