'Fail minister...': Opposition attacks Centre after Howrah-Mumbai Mail derails
What's the story
Opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Trinamool Congress have criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre after a train derailed in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district on Tuesday morning.
The incident involved 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailing near Barabamboo area.
The accident took place at approximately 3:45am, around 80km from Jamshedpur under the jurisdiction of South Eastern Railway's Chakradharpur Division.
Two people were killed and 20 others were injured in the accident.
Criticism mounts
'Lack of accountability'
Opposition parties have criticized the railway minister for a lack of accountability in the recent spate of accidents.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh targeted Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, with a post on X saying, "Yet another railway accident. But the PR machine of the Fail Minister continues...In June and July 2024 alone, the Fail Minister has overseen three accidents that have cumulatively cost 17 Indians their lives and left 100s injured."
Twitter Post
Read: Congress's post here
जिम्मेदारी किसकी? pic.twitter.com/FqjbAkSemC
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 30, 2024
Safety concerns
'Train accidents a weekly reality'
Congress leader Pawan Khera talked about the frequent occurrence of train accidents under Narendra Modi government, describing them as "a weekly reality."
Separately, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the government's performance on rail safety, saying, "This government wants to make a record in train accidents. They had record number of paper leaks, and now railway accidents."
Safety measures
RJD questions government over Kavach safety system
Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha said, "People thank God when a day passes without any train accident. Tall claims were made regarding 'Kavach' in the last Budget."
"This time, it was not even mentioned. I would like to ask how much distance has been covered under 'Kavach' cover or was that just for media management? I think Government is not bothered even after such incidents," Jha added.
Call to action
Trinamool Congress calls for government accountability
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on the government to ensure accountability after a series of railway accidents, urging for preventive measures.
In an X post, the former railway minister said, "I seriously ask: is this governance? This series of nightmares almost every week, this unending procession of deaths and injuries on railway tracks: for how long shall we tolerate this? Will there be no end to the callousness of Government of India?"
Inaction
'Shameful apathy': Shiv Sena (UBT)
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi accused the government of "shameful apathy" towards rail mishaps.
"With several deaths and no accountability till date, I guess this also won't have any impact. Announce compensation, promise enquiry and move on to another PR Instagram reel," Chaturvedi said.
Party leader Aaditya Thackeray questioned the inaction against the railway minister despite recurring incidents.