Andhra train mishap: Congress seeks resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw 

Following the train accident in Vizianagaram that claimed 13 lives and injured around 50 passengers, the Congress in Odisha demanded the resignation of Union Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw. 

Addressing a presser in Bhubaneswar on Monday, the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, Sarat Pattanayak said, “With repeated train accidents, people are scared of taking a train journey. Valuable lives are lost in such train mishaps. Hardly within a few months since the Bahanaga train tragedy in which hundreds of people died, another train mishap has happened on the Odisha border.”

The Congress veteran sought to know how much time the central government would take to be conscious and careful. He wondered if rail tracks are not maintained properly and if such tragedies are deliberately allowed to happen. 

“Let alone one train, here is the case of three trains getting involved in the accident. Hence, the people of Odisha can imagine how the Railway Minister is discharging his duties. Every life is valuable. Why should train accidents happen? People are really scared of boarding trains after such repeated mishaps. The Railway Minister should seriously think of why such accidents are happening, or find the lacunae,” he noted.

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The Congress veteran also observed how long people will bear such accidents. "If Ashwini Babu fails to perform, the BJP government at the Centre should replace him. If Ashwini Babu is unable to do his deities, he should resign on his own accord. You are the Railway Minister and you are responsible for this accident,” he added.
 
Responding to the Congress' allegations, BJP leader Dillip Malick said, “There should be no politics on the rail mishap. The Congress is making such a demand only to make its presence felt. An accident is an accident. Hence, there should be no politics.”