New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Odisha rail tragedy and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he ought to settle for a part of the duty for creating an ?all is nicely? facade even because the crucial infrastructure of the Indian Railway “languishes in neglect”. The Opposition get together requested whether or not the prime minister will take duty for the “deadliest rail tragedy” of this century. It additionally requested who’s accountable for ignoring the warnings and strategies of consultants, the parliamentary committee and CAG report.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that Modi was busy flagging off trains whereas not taking note of railway security. He known as for fixing accountability of all posts from prime to backside to stop such incidents sooner or later.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi too slammed the federal government and mentioned the prime minister ought to instantly search the resignation of the railway minister.
“No accountability even after 270 plus deaths! The Modi government cannot run away from taking responsibility for such a painful accident,” he mentioned in a tweet in Hindi.
270+ मौतों के बाद भी कोई जवाबदेही नहीं!
मोदी सरकार इतनी दर्दनाक दुर्घटना की ज़िम्मेदारी लेने से भाग नहीं सकती।
प्रधानमंत्री को फ़ौरन रेल मंत्री का इस्तीफा लेना चाहिए!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 4, 2023
Addressing a press convention on the AICC headquarters right here, Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil and AICC’s publicity and media division head Pawan Khera alleged that the Odisha rail tragedy was a “man-made devastation caused by “utter negligence, critical lapses within the system, incompetence, and a narcissistic sense of know-it-all angle of the Modi authorities”.
Khera mentioned the prime minister has a “Kavach” which no different PM had, defending him from public scrutiny and tv debates. He urged the media to not present that defend to the PM.
“This ‘Kavach’ does not save rail passengers but only your (PM’s) image,” Khera mentioned.
The Opposition get together additionally mentioned that Modi ought to settle for a part of the duty for the “mess” that it alleged that his authorities has inflicted on the Indian Railways and the folks.
Prime Minister Modi, who has introduced that the responsible can be punished, should first begin together with his railway minister, Khera mentioned.
“Unequivocally and unambiguously, we demand the resignation of the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Nothing short of it,” he mentioned.
“Resignation means taking duty on ethical grounds, right here there’s neither duty nor morals, do you assume any resignation would come? We do not know whom we should always ask for resignation.
“The person who goes to inaugurate even small stations or the one who has been busy since yesterday morning in publicity. Modi ji, you decide whose resignation you want. But now the nation expects that you seek the resignation of your rail minister the way Lal Bahadur Shastri, Nitish Kumar and Madhavrao Scindia resigned,” Khera mentioned.
“‘Praan jaye par PR na jaye– you have to leave this principle now,” Khera mentioned additional.
In a sequence of tweets in Hindi, Kharge posed inquiries to the Modi authorities and alleged that “PR gimmicks” have made the working system of the dispensation “hollow”.
Noting that three lakh posts are vacant within the Railways, he mentioned posts at excessive ranges whose recruitment is thru the Prime Minister’s Office are additionally mendacity vacant. He requested why these posts weren’t crammed within the final 9 years.
The Railway Board itself has lately admitted that lengthy working hours of loco pilots resulting from acute scarcity of manpower is the principle purpose for the growing variety of accidents, the Congress president mentioned and requested why the posts weren’t crammed up.
Kharge claimed that the Principal Chief Operating Manager of South Western Railway Zone sought fixing of the signalling system on February 8, 2023, citing an incident in Mysore during which two trains averted a collision.
“Why did the Ministry of Railways not act on it,” he requested.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee in its 323rd report criticised the Railways for the “disregard” proven by the Railway Board in the direction of the suggestions of the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), Kharge mentioned.
It was mentioned that CRS investigates solely 8 per cent to 10 per cent of accidents. Then why was CRS not strengthened, he requested.
“According to the latest CAG audit report, almost seven out of 10 train accidents between 2017-18 and 2020-21 were due to train derailment,” the Congress president mentioned.
“According to CAG, 79 per cent of funding was reduced in Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) when Rs 20,000 crore was to be made available every year. Why has there been a huge decline in the amount of track renewal works?” the Congress chief mentioned.
The practice collision avoidance system developed by India’s Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in 2011 was renamed by the Modi authorities as “Kavach” and was demonstrated by the railway minister himself in March 2022, he mentioned and requested why it has been carried out solely on 4 per cent routes until now.
“Mr Modi, you are busy flagging off trains that have been turned white every day but do not pay any attention to rail safety,” he mentioned in an obvious reference to Vande Bharat trains.
Accountability of posts from prime to backside must be mounted in order that such accidents will be prevented. Only then will the victims of this tragedy get justice, Kharge mentioned.
Congress normal secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too known as for the resignation of Vaishnaw.
“Following the ethical path of Lal Bahadur Shastri ji, Nitish Kumar ji, Madhav Rao Scindia ji, shouldn’t the railway minister resign?” she mentioned.
Earlier, Congress normal secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that railway security had been compromised within the “PR campaign” of the prime minister and the railway minister.
“Recall that Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned in the wake of the Nov 1956 Ariyalur train disaster & Nitish Kumar did so following the ghastly Aug 1999 Gaisal train tragedy,” he mentioned in a tweet.
At the presser, Gohil and Khera posed inquiries to the federal government and requested when will Modi demand the resignation from his railway minister.
They alleged that Vaishnaw’s “over the top publicity, theatrics and PR gimmicks overshadowed the serious deficiencies, criminal negligence and complete disregard for safety and security of Indian Railways”.
“PM Modi himself is responsible for a green-flagging spree of Vande Bharat Express trains. He is responsible for creating this ‘all is well’ facade in the Indian Railways, even as crucial, sensitive, and critical infrastructure of the Indian Railway languishes in neglect,” Gohil and Khera mentioned of their assertion.
Khera claimed that earlier than the accident, Vaishnaw skipped shows on security at Railway Chintan Shivir as a result of he needed to attend the flagging off of a Vande Bharat practice.
Gohil mentioned the Railways Minister ought to take duty however “Modi and morals travel in opposite directions”.
Congress normal secretary organisation Okay C Venugopal slammed the Centre, saying this has taken place as a result of the Modi authorities didn’t undertake the mandatory security and upkeep measures.
“It ignored multiple prior warnings about track and signal failures, including the latest one from the South Western Railways on February 9, 2023, pointing to the need to revamp signalling infrastructure,” he mentioned.
“Their sole focus has been on the Prime Minister’s PR through mega launch events. The government should be ashamed of what has transpired and the Prime Minister must answer to the entire nation for letting this happen under his watch,” Venugopal mentioned.
The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which had been carrying round 2,500 passengers, and a items practice occurred round 7 pm on Friday close to the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore.
At least 275 folks had been lifeless and over 1,100 injured within the accident, the worst rail accident in India in practically three a long time.
