BJP govt compromised on basic rail safety issues: Cong

New Delhi: Hitting out at the Centre over Balasore triple train collision, Congress on Tuesday alleged that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “thoroughly compromised” on basic issues of railway safety as the recent train tragedy in Odisha’s Balasore was a result of human error, which clearly shows that it was the result of failure of the management and political leadership.

Citing the findings of a high-level inquiry report, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that the report has found “wrong signalling” to be the main reason for the accident involving three trains in Balasore and flagged “lapses at multiple levels” in the signalling and telecommunication (S&T) department.

However, the report further indicated that the tragedy could have been averted if past red flags were reported, Ramesh said.

Reacting to the report, Ramesh, in a tweet, said: “This is what we have been saying all along. In the craze for inaugurating Vande Bharat trains, fixating on bullet trains and tinkering with specialised cadres, the Modi government has “thoroughly compromised” on basic issues of railway safety that don’t make for photo-ops and headlines.”

However, while addressing a Press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC), party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate has also cornered the BJP-led government at the Centre over the report and said that was the government’s responsibility to ensure that the passengers travelling by train reach their destinations safely.

“We would like to appeal that do not get into this business of hot food and new Vande Bharats. First ensure the safety of those travelling by train. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that people reach their destinations safely and not just keep flagging off trains,” she said, adding that all the lies of the government have fallen flat through this report.

Slamming the government over the report, Congress MP Ranjeeta Ranjan questioned the continuation of Ashwini Vaishnaw as Railway Minister when his “inaction killed hundreds of passengers.”