Opposition parties on Sunday blamed the government for “gross mismanagement” at New Delhi railway station that led to a stampede in which 18 people died and demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw resign taking moral responsibility.
Several opposition parties, including the Congress, the Left, Trinamool Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, accused the government of failing to make elaborate arrangements and “covering up” the actual number of deaths.
The BJP leaders, however, sought to defend the government by posting pictures on social media that showed the situation at the New Delhi railway station had turned normal.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said it was extremely shameful and condemnable that the Narendra Modi government was attempting to “hide the truth” about the deaths. In a social media post, the party said, “The railway minister should resign, apologise to the country.”
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said better arrangements should have been made at the station in view of the large number of devotees going to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh. “This incident once again highlights the failure of the Railways and the insensitivity of the government,” he said in a social media post.
Former Railway minister and senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal said the ultimate responsibility of the tragedy lies with the minister and he cannot escape it.
The former Railway minister said the government has “utterly failed” to anticipate the rush of pilgrims and make arrangements accordingly.
RJD supremo and former Railway minister Lalu Prasad said the stampede episode is very disturbing and it has exposed the inadequate arrangements made by the Central government. “The railway minister must resign after this incident. It is a complete failure on part of the Railways,” he asserted.
The Aam Aadmi Party accused the government of trying to cover up the incident. Its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, citing witnesses, alleged an announcement of platform change for trains was the reason behind the stampede.
“They are trying to deny that such an incident happened. How long will the government’s tendency of dilly-dallying and insensitivity will continue? When will the government and the Railway minister’s responsibility be fixed,” asked Singh, citing various rail-related accidents.
AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said the stampede shook all, and called it a glaring example of “gross mismanagement” and lack of crowd control measures. He demanded that those responsible for the stampede be held accountable.
Expressing condolences over the deaths, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi demanded an independent, judicially-monitored speacial investigation team to investigate the tragedy.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the loss of lives in a stampede at New Delhi railway station and stressed the need for careful planning and management for the safety of peopleThe CPI(M), in a social media post said, “Make the government accountable.” “The Railways have ordered an inquiry. Prima facie, it points to the utter mismanagement by central and state authorities,” it said.
The CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, claimed the stampede at the New Delhi station was triggered by delays in multiple train services during the Maha Kumbh rush and is a “direct indictment of the Central government’s callous mismanagement of India’s Railways”.