Opposition calls for Railway Minister's Ashwini Vaishnaw resignation

New Delhi: Expressing shock and grief at the loss of lives in the train accident in Odisha, opposition leaders on Saturday stressed the importance of prioritising the safety of passengers by railways, while there were also demands to fix accountability and for the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The Congress said the "horrendous" train accident in Odisha reinforces why safety should always be the foremost priority in the functioning of the rail network and asserted that there are many questions to ask of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Vaishnaw but those can wait as the immediate task was of rescue and relief.

RJD chief and former railway minister Lalu Prasad claimed that sheer negligence has caused the train tragedy and alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre has "destroyed" the railways.

In a video statement, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said it was the time to stay united and pointed out that several state governments have come forward to help out with the rescue efforts in Odisha, including the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government. "I want to ask the PM and the Railway Minister that it should be found out how this happened and who is responsible.

We always talk about safety but still such an incident happened which had not happened in the history of railways. But all this can be discussed later as now it is the time to be united and support the central government and for all leaders to come together to help the people and share their grief," Kharge said.