By IANS,
New Delhi: A day after a rail accident claimed at least 69 lives in Uttar Pradesh, opposition parties Monday held the government responsible for it saying the railway ministry has been ignored.
While Bharatiya Janata Party blamed the coalition politics for “spoiling” the railways, Communist Party of India-Marxist questioned the prime minister on why a railway minister had not been appointed as yet. Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, whose party is part of the UPA, was heading the railway ministry before she resigned after her party won the West Bengal assembly elections in May. Since then, no one has been appointed to the post.
“We are concerned about the state of railways, during the UPA I and UPA II, the railways has become the victim of government’s coalition politics,” BJP spokesperson Jagat Prakash Nadda said.
CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the government was responsible for the accident.
“No one has been given the charge of railways till now, the whole government is responsible for it, but the railway minister is responsible above all,” Yechury told reporters.
“Why hasn’t the prime minister appointed a new railway minister till now. He should tell the nation. People should not be losing their lives because of the government’s inaction. This is serious,” he said.
At least 69 people died while 196 others were injured when the Kalka Mail from Howrah met with an accident near Malwan station in Uttar Pradesh. The reason for the accident has not yet been established.