West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav got into an altercation on Saturday at the train accident site in Odisha’s Balasore district.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar demanded a probe into the three-train accident in Balasore and cited the example of the then Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri resigning after a train accident and asked “those in power” to “proper”.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Saturday said this was not the right time to join politics as all efforts were currently being focused on the ongoing restoration work, amid demands from the opposition for his resignation following the three-train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district. Needed site.
Addressing the media after his verbal duel with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the train accident site, Vaishnav said, “…we want complete transparency, this is not the time to do politics, focus on ensuring It is time to give that the restoration should be done as soon as possible.
Earlier, Mamta, who visited the accident site, told the media that she had received information that the death toll in the train accident could be more than 500.
At this, Vaisha, who was standing near her, immediately intervened and said, “The death toll is 238 as per Odisha government figures.”
Responding to the railway minister’s reply, the West Bengal CM reiterated the figure claiming that 238 was Friday night’s toll. “Rescue work in three coaches is yet to be completed, so the death toll will rise further,” he added.
The chief minister also said that anti-collision was not fitted in the express trains, due to which the accident took place. He demanded a high-level inquiry into the accident.
According to the latest official figures, the death toll in the train tragedy has risen to 294, while over 1,100 have been injured.
Besides the Trinamool chief, the NCP and the Congress also demanded the resignation of the Railway Minister following one of the deadliest train accidents in recent history.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Saturday that Vaishnav should resign on moral grounds after the Odisha train accident.
“The whole country is saddened by the accident. The Bharatiya Janata Party talks about morality and decency. That’s why he (Vaishnav) should resign immediately.
Baghel said that Vaishnav had talked about introducing anti-collision mechanism to prevent such incidents but three trains collided with each other and that too in his home state.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar also demanded an inquiry into the three-train accident in Balasore and cited the example of the then railway minister Lal Bahadur Shastri resigning after a train accident and “justifying” those in power. asked for.
“It is an accident and everyone has demanded an inquiry. Let the facts come out and then suggestions can be made.”
Speaking on some parties demanding Vaishnav’s resignation, the NCP chief said, “When Lal Bahadur Shastri was the railways minister, there was an accident. The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was against Shastri’s decision to resign, but Shastri believed that it was his moral responsibility to resign.”
“The country knows this example and those in power should do what they think is right,” Pawar insisted.