Kolkata, India – Following a tragic train derailment in Jharkhand that resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the central government, critically questioning its oversight and the frequent railway mishaps under its leadership. The derailment involved the Howrah CSMT Mumbai Mail, which experienced a severe accident early Tuesday, impacting the majority of its coaches.
Banerjee expressed her distress over the incident on social media, where she mourned the loss of lives and extended her heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. She called out what she describes as an unending cycle of negligence by the authorities responsible for railway safety.
In her online statement, Banerjee did not mince words, questioning the competency of the current administration and drawing attention to what she perceives as a series of governance failures that are costing lives. “Another disastrous rail accident! Howrah- Mumbai mail derails in Chakradharpur division in Jharkhand early Tuesday morning, multiple deaths, and a huge number of injuries are the tragic consequences,” she wrote.
The Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal, echoed Banerjee’s sentiments by labeling these recurrent train accidents as the new norm under the BJP-led central government and accused the railway ministry of lacking accountability. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev sharply criticized the central government, stating that it had no satisfactory responses to the ongoing issues.
Further exacerbating the political uproar, Sagarika Ghose, another Rajya Sabha MP from Trinamool Congress, criticized Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Railways Minister, for his partial attention to his ministerial duties owing to his engagements with election management in states poised for elections.
The criticism wasn’t limited to the Trinamool Congress. Leaders from other parties within the INDIA bloc alliance raised their concerns and discontent with the handling of railway operations by the union government. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the government for what he perceives as a failure to secure safety despite substantial budgets and lofty security promises.
In their social media critique, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in Jharkhand disclaimed any local mismanagement leading to the accident and preemptively cautioned against any coercive investigations by central agencies, which they inferred could be politically motivated.
Adding to the condolences, Bengal’s Governor C.V. Ananda Bose also expressed his sympathy to the families who lost their loved ones in this tragic event. His message conveyed through the Raj Bhavan media cell stressed the need for a swift recovery for those injured.
This train accident, occurring near Barabamboo station at approximately 3:45 AM, adds to a troubling record of railway incidents in the region, provoking uproar among politicians and the public alike over the state of railway safety and administrative accountability in India.