After the tragic train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday evening, the Congress party has raised questions about the accountability of the incident. The accident led to the death of 288 people and over 800 injured. The collision involved two trains, the Coromandel Express and the SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express, which resulted in 21 coaches being derailed. The Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if his government would take responsibility for this massive operational failure. The Congress leaders also criticized the government’s railway management and safety, which they believe has been compromised in their PR campaign.
The Prime Minister has visited the accident site and assured that the best medical treatment will be provided to the injured, and guilty will not be spared. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has also been at the Balasore accident site since Saturday morning.
The Congress leaders urged the government to take responsibility and accountability for the accident. They have cited previous incidents where Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned after the November 1956 Ariyalur train disaster, and Nitish Kumar did the same following the ghastly Gaisal train tragedy in August 1999.
The Congress party is calling for answers and for the government to take appropriate measures to ensure that such accidents do not occur again. They are urging the government to prioritize safety in their efforts to improve railway management.