West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday engaged in a verbal duel at the train accident site in Odisha’s Balasore district (Image/ PTI)
Referring to her previous statement on crash could have been averted if the ‘Kavach’ anti-collision system was operational on the route, Banerjee said the Union Railway Minister’s silence was suspicious
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised concerns on Sunday, stating, “Dal mein kuch kaala hai” (there’s something suspicious going on), regarding the response of Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to the tragic Odisha train accident that claimed the lives of at least 275 passengers.
Referring to her statement on Saturday in which she said the crash could have been averted if the ‘Kavach’ anti-collision system was operational on the route, Banerjee, who has been the Railway minister twice, said the Union Railway Minister’s silence was suspicious.
“When yesterday he (the Railways Minister) was present with me, and I mentioned the anti-collision device, why didn’t he respond? ‘Dal mein kuch kaala hai’ (There’s something fishy going on). We want the truth to be revealed,” she said at a press conference.
She blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre said the new signal system and anti-collision device were introduced during her tenure as the railway minister.
Banerjee also questioned the death figures given by the Railway Ministry and said that 61 people from her state were dead and 182 were still missing.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government revised the death toll to 275 from 288, and put the number of injuries at 1,175.
Chief Secretary P K Jena said some bodies were counted twice. “After detailed verification and a report by Balasore District Collector, the final toll has been fixed at 275,” he said.
The Bengal Chief Minister stated the BJP compelled her to address the matter and said: “It was being stated by some sections that so many people died during my tenure and that of Nitish Kumar or Lalu Prasad Yadav.”
Attacking the Centre over its response to the Balasore incident, she raked up the train burning incident in Gujarat’s Godhra in 2002.
“Those who (BJP led Central government) can change history, can change any number. Instead of standing with people, they’re abusing me, Nitishji, Laluji…How did a fire break out in a running train in Godhra (in 2002)?… So many people died, they should have atleast sought an apology”, she said.
The BJP hit back and accused the chief minister of indulging in dirty politics and being “petty and putulant” while the government is focused on providing relief and controlling the situation.
“Mamata Banerjee’s rise in politics has been over dead bodies… From Singur to post poll violence of 2021, all she has done is – indulged in dirty politics of death and destruction,” said BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya.
He accused her of “thwarting” her attempts to “inflate” casualty figures. “She is clearly frustrated after the Railways Minister thwarted her attempts to inflate casualty numbers (in Balasore), that too in full media glare (she had no business addressing the media when rescue operation was on besides being wrong on facts on multiple counts), prompting her to rake up the tragic train burning in Godhra, at a time when GoI is focused on providing relief and bringing things back on track,” he said.
“But then that is Mamata Banerjee – petty and petulant,” he added.
The Coromandel Express collided with a stationary goods train on June 2, at 7 pm, resulting in the derailment of several of its coaches. Simultaneously, a few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express passing by were toppled by the impact. The investigative team is currently examining various factors, including potential human error, signal failure and other possible causes that could have contributed to the three-train collision.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the Railway Board has recommended a CBI probe into the Balasore train accident.