New York: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out the BJP-led government at the Centre over the Odisha triple train accident, claiming that the only ideology that it espouses is to make excuses not accept the reality.
The horrific collision and derailment, involving two passenger trains and a goods train, claimed the lives of 275 passengers and left over 1,000 injured.
Addressing the Indian diaspora in New York as part of his ongoing visit to the US, Rahul on Monday said in the wake of a similar train tragedy when the Congress was in power at the Centre, the then minister in charge of the Railways had owned moral responsibility and resigned.
“I remember a train accident when the Congress party was in power. The Congress did not say that the train crashed because of the fault of the British. The Congress minister (in charge of the Railways ministry at the time) said, ‘It’s my responsibility and I’m resigning’. So, this is the problem we have back home, we make excuses and do not accept the reality,” the Congress leader said.
Rahul claimed further that the BJP was in the habit of not owning up to his mistakes and shift the blame, instead, to the Congress when questioned.
“You ask them (BJP) anything, they will look back and pass the blame. Ask them how the Odisha train accident happened. They will talk about what the Congress did 50 years ago,” the Congress leader added.
The triple train accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and the goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district of Odisha.
Earlier, on Sunday, Rahul said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately seek the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in light of the Balasore train tragedy.
Stepping up his attack on the central government, he said in a tweet there was “no accountability even after 270+ deaths”, adding, “The Modi government cannot run away from taking responsibility for such a painful accident. The Prime Minister should immediately seek the resignation of the Railway Minister!”
(With agency inputs)
