Opposition parties on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government following the latest train accident in Jharkhand, which left two people dead and 20 injured.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the government's track record when it comes to rail safety, stating, "This government wants to make a record in train accidents. They had record number of paper leaks, and now railway accidents. This government only makes big claims. People are losing their lives. The government should do something about it so that such accidents do not happen in future."
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while offering condolences to the victims’ families, asked the government to fix accountability following a spate of railway accidents and take measures to prevent such incidents.
Banerjee, a former Railways Minister, tweeted, "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?!"
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi questioned the government’s response to increasingly frequent instances of rail-related mishaps, accusing it of “shameful apathy”.
"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.
She further attacked Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, calling him a "Reel minister," and criticised overcrowding in trains, stating, "People are travelling in toilets but the government is not ashamed."
Trinamool Congress leaders Sushmita Dev and Sagarika Ghose accused the Railway Ministry of zero accountability, with Dev stating, "This is becoming the new normal. Accountability of @AshwiniVaishnaw ji is zero. The GOI has no answers whatsoever."
Ghose wondered how many more train accidents it would take for the Centre to take action, saying, "How many more train accidents shall it take for the Modi government to wake up from its slumber? People are suffering, people are being put through hardships and misery while the Modi government continues to escape accountability and responsibility for rail safety."
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also slammed the Centre, urging the Railways Minister to focus on railways instead of making social media reels. The ruling party also distanced itself from the accident and said Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the INDIA bloc were not involved in any way.
The accident occurred when at least 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district early on Tuesday.
