Opposition targets Railway Ministry over Kanchanjunga Express accident
The Kanchanjunga Express accident has given the Opposition more ammo to target Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, with the Congress seeking the BJP leader’s resignation. The Congress condemned the “mismanagement” of the Railway Ministry, claiming that the minister was “busy with making reels” and had no time to discuss people’s safety.
On Monday, three rear coaches of the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express derailed after being hit by a cargo train in Siliguri, West Bengal, killing at least nine persons and injuring over 30 others.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, claimed that the Narendra Modi government has methodically turned the Rail Ministry into a forum for ‘camera-driven’ self-promotion.
Also read: Tragic Train Collision in West Bengal: 15 Dead, Over 60 Injured as Kanchanjunga Express Derails
“In the past 10 years, the Modi government has indulged in the utter mismanagement of the Railway Ministry… Make no mistake, we will remain persistent with our questions and shall make the Modi government accountable for its criminal abandonment of the Indian Railways,” Kharge said.
Congress demands resignation of Ashwini Vaishnaw
Meanwhile, Congress politician Pramod Tiwari demanded Vaishnaw’s resignation, blaming bad management as the cause of the catastrophe, which occurred a year after the Coromandel Express disaster, which killed over 290 people in Odisha’s Balasore.
“The rail accidents are the result of poor management, policy, and procedures. The load on tracks has increased, but there is no emphasis on safety. The country has not recovered from the rail tragedy in Odisha, and now this major accident has occurred. The Railway Ministry is unable to handle. “The Railway Minister should resign,” Tiwari told PTI.
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Jairam Ramesh, Congress’s communications in-charge, claimed that Ashwini Vaishnaw’s stint as Railways Minister began in July 2021 and has been marked by “maximum publicity, public relations, and social media activity” and “zero accountability.”
Ramesh was responding to a post on X that claimed over 329 lives had been lost due to rail accidents and security concerns since August 2021.
Supriya Shrinate, a Congress lawmaker, also chastised the Railway Minister for his lack of accountability in the face of repeated train accidents. “The state of Indian Railways is alarming… “When should we talk about people’s safety… the minister has no time to spare from making reels,” she tweeted.
