Attacking Railway Minister and rival Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee over spate of train accidents, the Communist Party of India-Marxist said the latest mishap in West Bengal was a clear case of negligence and asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "take a call" on issue.
Terming Banerjee's statement suggesting that the accident could be an act of sabotage as "highly irresponsible", CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the accident in Sainthia was "clearly a case of negligence. There has been no act of sabotage, nothing has been removed. "You have a Minister whose attention is elsewhere and the country is paying the price for that", he said "this is something which cannot be accepted in the collective responsibility of the Cabinet. "The prime minister has to take a call. It is high time he takes a call because in the past one year, the highest number of railway accidents have taken place," Yechury claimed.
Replying to questions, he said "it is for the prime minister to take whatever action he deems fit and for the people to judge". "Earlier the Minister used to say that somebody else has caused the accident. But here is a train standing at a station and another hits it from behind .... what about the anti-collision devices and other high technology which was promised in the (Railway) budget."
Asked whether the CPI-M would demand Banerjee's resignation, he said "asking for resignation is meaningless because in this government, the levels of political morality is so low that it does not matter" and added that what is required was rectification of the situation. "People will have to see and call spade a spade. They have to see how things have been allowed to degenerate because of this high level of neglect", Yechury said.
In a statement, the CPI-M Politburo expressed shock and sorrow at the Railway accident and conveyed deep condolences to the families of those killed and sympathy to those injured. "The number of rail accidents has been unprecedented in the last one year. Maintenance of equipment and safety measures are being neglected in the railways," the party said "One lakh jobs in safety related jobs remain vacant. The government cannot keep quiet about the present state of affairs in the railways," the CPI-M said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party questioned the capability and willingness of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in providing safety to passengers and suggested that if she continued to use her office for playing politics in West Bengal she should be made "minister without portfolio". "Mamata Banerjee should concentrate on railways. If she is using the railways as a platform for politics in West Bengal, it is better to make her a minister without portfolio," BJP spokesperson Tarun Vijay said.
Five major train accidents have taken place since Banerjee took over as the Railway Minister in 2009. When asked if BJP would demand her resignation, the spokesperson said at the moment the party only wanted an inquiry into the latest incident. "The accident has raised serious doubts about the railways capability to provide safety and a comfortable journey," Vijay said. "Why have the Railways not learnt lessons till now is a serious question," he added.
He suggested that the inquiry into the latest accident should also look into this issue. Vijay said the statement of Banerjee after the accident that she has "deep doubts" about its cause seems to suggest that it could be a Naxal attack or a case of sabotage.
Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad described the train disaster in Birbhum district of West Bengal as a case of serious lapse. "I don't understand why such accidents are taking place," Prasad said. "This is a sad incident and a serious lapse," the RJD supremo told reporters. Prasad, however, parried a question about allegations that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee was concentrating on West Bengal politics ignoring her department.
Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan demanded a judicial probe into the train mishap in Birbhum district of West Bengal and blamed Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for the accident. "It is a serious lapse on the part of the Railways...There were no Naxal activities and no fog even then such a major accident occurred," Paswan told reporters. The former railway minister demanded a judicial probe into the incident. Alleging that Banerjee was concentrating on poll-bound West Bengal alone at the cost of the Railways, Paswan asked her to make her stand clear whether she would focus only on her home state or look after the affairs of her ministry.
