Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw defends rail safety record, accuses Congress of spreading fear
By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Aug 1, 2024, 4:05 PM ISTThe minister further defended the current administration's record by comparing it to past achievements. He noted that under Mamata Banerjee's tenure as railway minister, the accident rate decreased from 0.24 to 0.19.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday (August 1) launched a vigorous rebuttal against opposition criticisms regarding the rise in railway accidents and the current state of India's rail services during a Lok Sabha session. Vaishnaw challenged the opposition to explain their failure to implement Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems during their 58 years in power, despite the technology being critical for railway safety.
"Those who are shouting here must be asked why they were unable to install even 1 km of ATP during their tenure. Today, they dare to raise questions," Vaishnaw said.
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The minister further defended the current administration's record by comparing it to past achievements. He noted that under Mamata Banerjee's tenure as railway minister, the accident rate decreased from 0.24 to 0.19. In contrast, under the present government, the rate has improved even further to 0.03. Vaishnaw criticized the opposition for raising concerns despite these improvements.
Vaishnaw also accused the Congress party of disseminating misleading information through social media, which he claimed was creating unnecessary fear among the millions of daily railway passengers. "Congress, with the help of its troll army on social media, spreads falsehoods and attempts to instill fear in the hearts of the 2 crore people who travel by rail every day," he said.
In response, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi criticized Vaishnaw for evading accountability. Gogoi accused the BJP minister of blaming historical failures instead of addressing current issues. "Today we see a new tradition where BJP Ministers refuse to take moral responsibility for their failures and instead blame the past," Gogoi told reporters after walking out of the House.
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Gogoi pointed to recent rail accidents, including the tragic Balasore mishap that resulted in approximately 300 fatalities, and labelled Vaishnaw as a "derailment minister" in light of the ongoing safety concerns.
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