Yet another railway accident but 'PR machine of Fail Minister' continues: Congress

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) The Congress took a swipe at Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday after a train derailment in Jharkhand, saying since June, the "Fail Minister" has "overseen three accidents" that have cumulatively cost 17 lives, but there is "no accountability" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new India.

Two persons were killed and 20 injured as at least 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district in the early hours of Tuesday, officials said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of loss of lives in the tragedy is saddening.

"May god give peace to the departed souls. I pray to god for the injured. The railways used to be a mode of transport for common people but now, there is neither any comfort nor safety for the common people," she said in a post in Hindi on X.

"In the last two weeks, more than half a dozen accidents have happened, common people are losing their lives. But the railway minister and the government are not paying any heed to this. Should the railway minister not be held accountable for causing accidents instead of fixing those? Can one simply evade responsibility by making excuses after every accident?" the Congress leader asked.

Responsibility must be fixed and strict action must be taken because it is important to stop playing with the safety of the common people, she said.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Yet another railway accident. But the PR machine of the Fail Minister continues." "In June and July 2024 alone, the Fail Minister has overseen three accidents that have cumulatively cost 17 Indians their lives and left 100s injured," he said in a post on X, hitting out at Vaishnaw.

Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "Train Accidents: A Weekly Reality in Modi's New India." "July 18: Train accident in Gonda, UP: Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express: 4 killed, 31 injured. July 19: Goods train derailed in Valsad, Gujarat. July 20: 12 wagons of a freight train derailed in Amroha, UP. July 21: 3 wagons of a goods train derailed in Alwar, Rajasthan. July 21: Goods train derailed in Ranaghat, West Bengal. July 26: Goods train derailed at Bhubaneswar Railway Station, Orissa. July 29: Bihar Sampark Kranti Express detached from other coaches in Samastipur, Bihar. July 30: Several coaches of the Howrah-CSMT Express train derailed in Chakradharpur, Jharkhand: 2 killed, 20 injured," he said in a post on the microblogging platform.

In the usual aftermath, Vaishnaw would visit the site with his public relations team by the evening and upload a reel on social media by the next day, Khera said, taking a dig at the railway minister.

"In Modi's new India, there is no accountability, no resignations, only grandiose talks about irrelevant rail projects that no one uses," he added.

"Two persons were killed and 20 injured as 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed near Barabamboo. Rescue operations are on and an NDRF team is rushing to the spot," West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Kuldeep Chaudhary, who is camping at the accident site, told PTI.

He claimed that the Howrah-Mumbai train had hit a stationary goods train.

The accident site is near the border between West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has directed the officials concerned to expedite the relief operations and help the injured. PTI ASK RC