Amid Calls for Railway Minister’s Resignation BJP Asks Opposition to “Stop Politicizing” Tragic Odisha Train Accident

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 5th June. The BJP on Sunday urged opposition parties not to politicize the Balasore train tragedy, saying the track record of the railway ministers in the Congress-led UPA government’s railway ministers was nothing short of a disaster.

BJP IT department head Amit Malviya provided information of accidents under these ministers on Twitter, adding that such “worthies” are the ones requesting the resignation of the country’s “most qualified” railway minister in seven and a half decades.

The Congress has previously demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and blasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he should face some of the blame for maintaining an all-is-well facade while the Indian Railways’ key infrastructure “languishes in neglect.”

Returning fire, Malviya said, “Stop politicising the unfortunate Balasore tragedy because track record of railway ministers, under the UPA, to put it mildly, was nothing short of disaster. Let us focus on relief and rescue operation and putting life and rail back on track, at the earliest.”

Under Mamata Banerjee as railway minister, 1,451 people died in 54 cases of collisions and 839 incidents of train derailments, he said.

When Lalu Yadav was the minister, the death toll was 1,159, while the corresponding figure for Nitish Kumar was 1,527.

Yadav was the railway minister in the first term of the UPA government while Nitish Kumar was the minister during the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

This is the report card of those seeking resignation, said Malviya.

Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been outspoken in her criticism of the government over the accident.

Malviya alleged, “Banerjee’s rise in politics has been over dead bodies. From Singur to post poll violence of 2021, all she has done is – indulged in dirty politics of death and destruction.”

On Saturday, he shared a video of Vaishnaw clarifying to her on the accident site after she stated that the death toll could be as high as 500.

“That is Mamata Banerjee – petty and petulant,” Malviya said.

According to the BJP spokesman, the Indian Railways has taken several steps to ensure the safety of passengers in recent years.

This comprises record work for track maintenance and renewal, as well as the elimination of all unmanned level crossings on the wide gauge route.

The implementation of the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) or ‘Kavach’ on railway routes, he noted, detailing additional steps as well.

The Railway Board has recommended that the CBI investigate the Balasore train catastrophe, which has claimed 275 lives so far.