12 Opposition parties including the Congress staged a dharna in front of the East-Coast Railway office at Bhubaneswar demanding the resignation of Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Bahanaga train tragedy.
Apart from Vaishnaw’s resignation, the protesters demanded the Centre to provide compensation of Rs 50 lakh and a job to the next of kin of each deceased.
The Opposition also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored SIT enquiry into the accident.
“We have all gathered here to protest against the gross negligence by the Railways ministry. It is a known fact that the accident happened because of negligence by the Railways officials,” alleged senior leader of Odisha Congress, Niranjan Patnaik.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the other hand refuted the allegations and advised the Congress to protest in a constructive way.
Speaking to reporters, Odisha BJP president, Manmohan Samal said, “They should protest in a constructive way, not for optics. The Prime Minister visited the spot and the CBI was handed over the enquiry. In fact, it has already detained some suspects for questioning. From DNA tests to compensating the next of kin of the deceased, the Indian Railways has done everything under its capacity to alleviate the pain of the victims.”
"The Railways has not wasted a minute after the accident. The resignation of the Minister is not the solution. Instead, the Opposition should demand to strengthen the railway network. They should demand to introduce high-speed trains in this sector. As far as the enquiry is concerned, the CBI is currently on it. If the Opposition is not satisfied with the results of the enquiry then they can demand an SIT probe,” Samal added.