TMC leaders Mahua Moitra and Sushmita Dev.
Credit: PTI File Photos
Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress has blamed Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for the derailment of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express in Uttar Pradesh, which claimed four lives and left at least 20 people injured on Thursday.
While the party's Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sushmita Dev said the railways, which serves as the primary mode of travel for millions, is no longer safe, TMC Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra commented that the railways appeared to have entered an "emergency room" phase after 10 years of the Narendra Modi government.
"Another train derailment. This time the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express! Indian Railways, which is the primary mode of travel for crores of common people is no more safe!", Dev posted on X.
Offering her condolences to the bereaved families and expressing solidarity with the injured, Dev said, "Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the blue-eyed boy of @PMOIndia, is costing us lives!"
Echoing Dev, Moitra said, "Another derailment in UP. Shame @AshwiniVaishnaw - Indian Railways in Emergency room after 10 years of Jumla Sarkar." Moitra emphasised the urgent need for safety measures, advocating for the immediate installation of the automated train collision avoidance system (KAVACH) across all railway routes.
On June 17, ten people lost their lives and around 40 sustained injuries when three rear coaches of the Kanchanjungha Express derailed in West Bengal after colliding with a goods train.