Odisha train accident: Opposition parties target BJP-led Centre over tragedy
Opposition parties launched a full-fledged attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s central government after three trains crashed in Odisha on Friday night in one of India's worst train accidents. While the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) pointed out how everyone once knew the name of the Union railway minister, unlike now, the Congress flagged the need to raise numerous legitimate questions regarding passenger safety.
Why does this story matter?
This development comes right after at least 288 people reportedly died, and over 900 individuals suffered injuries after three trains derailed in a tragic accident in Odisha's Balasore on Friday evening. According to the officials in Bhubaneswar, 50 buses, 200 ambulances, and 45 mobile health teams and 1,200 other personnel were deployed at the incident site to rescue affected people.
Safety should always be foremost priority: Jairam Ramesh
Reacting to the tragedy, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh labeled the incident as "horrendous" and added that he would wait until Sunday before asking important questions. "It reinforces why SAFETY should always be the foremost priority in the functioning of the rail network," he tweeted. "There are many legitimate questions that need to be raised but that should wait till tomorrow," added Ramesh.
You can see Ramesh's Twitter post here
RJD takes aim at BJP-led central government
The RJD tweeted in Hindi, "Tragic train accident. There was a time when the country knew the name of the railway minister. The Railway Budget used to be presented separately. Railways had not been privatized." "Now, no one knows the railway minister! All the green flags are shown by one and only one narcissistic propaganda minister," it added, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Twitter post by RJD on Odisha train accident
TMC demands railway minister's resignation
On Friday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) demanded the resignation of Railway Minister and BJP leader Ashwini Vaishnaw after the horrific triple train crash. The party's National General Secretary and senior leader Abhishek Banerjee claimed that the Centre was spending crores on software to spy on opposition leaders instead of installing anti-collision devices in trains, reported the news agency PTI.
Here's how BJP responded to TMC's allegations
While responding to the TMC leader's allegations, the BJP accused Banerjee of trying to politicize the tragic incident. "When Mamata Banerjee was the railway minister, then too train accidents happened, did she resign?" Samik Bhattacharya, the BJP's West Bengal spokesperson, asked. "The answer is no. The TMC should stop politicizing a tragic accident," he added.
PM Modi visits accident site in Odisha
On the other hand, PM Modi visited the accident site in Balasore on Saturday to assess the situation, according to the news agency ANI. The prime minister later also met the survivors who are currently admitted at a hospital in Balasore. "It's a painful incident.... It's a serious incident, and instructions have been issued for the probe from every angle," he said.
