Odisha tragedy: Oppn wants the resignation of the railway minister

While expressing condolences for the loss of almost 300 people in the Odisha train tragedy, opposition party leaders have expressed concerns about the railroads’ signalling system, which allegedly contributed to the crash.

At least 280 people were killed and over 900 were injured in the Friday crash involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a cargo train.

TMC DEMANDS RAILWAY MINISTER’S RESIGNATION

On Friday, the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation over the horrific triple train crash in Odisha.

TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the Centre was spending crores of rupees on software to spy on opposition leaders while neglecting the installation of anti-collision devices in trains to prevent such accidents.

He said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was boasting of Vande Bharat trains and newly-constructed railway stations to bolster political support by “misleading the public”, but neglecting the safety measures.

Banerjee said it is the impoverished and marginalised people who bear the brunt of “the apathy of the Centre” and their actions, whether it is demonetisation, GST, lockdowns, farm laws or inadequate railway safety measures.

“My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, and if there remains a semblance of conscience, the Railway Minister should resign. NOW!” he wrote on Facebook.

Echoing Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s spokesperson Saket Gokhale said, “My fervent prayers for those affected & their families. …That an alleged signalling failure led to 3 trains crashing is shocking beyond belief. There are serious questions which need answering,” TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale tweeted.