Hwh-Mum Mail Accident: Mamata Asks Is This Governance? JMM Calls Vaishnaw 'Reel Minister'

Raising concerns, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP-led Centre and questioned their governance. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) too highlighted the negligence of the Centre, questioning why top BJP leaders have been sitting in Delhi and keeping mum about the train accident.

Hyderabad: The Trinamool Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, both game down heavily on the Centre criticising the Railway Ministry regarding the series of Railway accidents and raised questions about the Railways’ accountability in lapses.

In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “Another disastrous rail accident! Howrah-Mumbai mail derails in Chakradharpur division in Jharkhand today early morning, multiple deaths and huge number of injuries are the tragic consequences.”

Raising concerns, Banerjee lashed out at the BJP-led Centre and questioned their governance. "This series of nightmares almost every week, this unending procession of deaths and injuries on railway tracks: for how long shall we tolerate this?

Will there be no end to the callousness of Government of India?! My heart goes out to the bereaved families, condolences to the next of kin,” she posted.

Two persons were killed and 20 others injured as 18 coaches of the 12810 Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district early on Tuesday, July 30. The accident occurred at around 4 AM near Barabamboo, which is around 80 km from Jamshedpur, and is within the operational jurisdiction of the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway (SER).

Initial reports indicate that a goods train had already derailed on the Down Line tracks and the Mumbai-bound Howrah Mail, which was running at around 120 kmph on the UP LIne tracks, rammed into it and derailed. There is still no information from the Railways as to why the driver of the passenger train was not alerted about the derailment of the goods train on the Down Line tracks and to slow down with caution.

Stepping up its ante against the Centre, the Trinamool Congress has accused the Government and the Railways Ministry of having no accountability.

“How many more train accidents shall it take for the Modi government to wake up from its slumber? People are suffering, people are being put through hardships and misery while the Modi government continues to escape accountability and responsibility for rail safety. We have a part-time rail minister as Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is too busy looking after election management in poll-bound states to bother too much with the railway ministry,” alleged Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose.

Taking to X, another TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev said, "This is becoming the new normal. Accountability of @AshwiniVaishnaw ji is zero. The GOI has no answers whatsoever.”

Kolkata Mayor and Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim said that the Centre is busy planning and plotting to sell off the Railways. He added, "They are not thinking about the lives of the passengers, or those who use the railways on a daily basis for commuting. It is shameful. We strongly condemn this attitude.”

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was also equally critical of the Centre and the Railways for the accident. In a post on the X, the party asked, “Why are top BJP leaders sitting in Delhi and the Reel (Rail) Minister himself silent on the continuing railway accidents across the country? What is the reason?”

Taking a jibe at the Centre as well as the BJP, the party took to social media and said, “Hemant Soren Ji or INDIA Bloc has no hand in this. Do not give threats to get us trapped by ED/CBI.”

The ruling party of Jharkhand also tagged BJP state president and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi and went on to say, “The entire responsibility for this (train accident) lies with your Railway Minister and the central government. Stop the Railway Minister from making reels and request him to focus on railways.”

Demanding a detailed enquiry into today’s train accident, former Jharkhand CM and senior JMM leader said that train accidents have become so frequent in the country. "There are either irregularities or carelessness in the system, which is causing these accidents. The Centre should take cognisance of it and rectify the problems at the earliest. Strong action should be taken against those who are responsible for today's accident as well as the earlier ones.”

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has expressed grief and anguish over the lives lost and those injured in Howrah-Mumbai Mail accident.

Wishing speedy recovery of the injured, the Raj Bhavan posted on X, “HG (Honourable Governor) has expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes fast recovery of those injured in the Howrah-CSMT Express train derailment near Jharkhand's Chakradharpur today.”