ALLY IN TIMES OF DISTRESS. (From top) Mamata Banerjee and Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi/Patna/Kolkata, July 19 (PTI): The train accident today gave fodder to non-UPA parties to target Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee who was accused of being busy with West Bengal politics at the cost of her ministry but the government defended her.

BJP, LJP, RJD and CPI(M) said the collision betweeen Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express and Uttaranchal-bound Vananchal Express in Bhirbhum district of West Bengal was the result of a lapse for which they held Banerjee answerable.

More than 60 people are feared dead and 90 injured in an early morning collision between Uttarbanga Express and Vananchal Express that took place at Sainthia station in Birbhum district of West Bengal.

”You have a Minister whose attention is elsewhere and the country is paying the price for that,” CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said. Contending that “this is something which cannot be accepted in the collective responsibility of the Cabinet,” he said, “The Prime Minister has to take a call. It is high time he takes a call because in the past one year, the highest number of railway accidents have taken place.”

Five major train accidents have taken place since Banerjee took over as the Railway Minister in 2009. When asked if BJP would demand her resignation, the spokesperson Tarun Vijay said at the moment the party only wanted an inquiry into the latest incident.
”The accident has raised serious doubts about the railways capability to provide safety and a comfortable journey,” Vijay said.

LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan said in Patna that the Railway Minister will have to “make a choice as to whether she wants to be Railway Minister or do West Bengal politics. Both cannot go together. The loss of so many lives in every three months is not tolerable.” Demanding a judicial probe into the train mishap, the former Railway Minister said, “It is a serious lapse on the part of the Railways...There were no Naxal activities and no fog even then such a major accident occurred.”

Banerjee's predecessor and RJD chief Lalu Prasad said, ”This is a sad incident and a serious lapse.”Apparently targeting Banerjee, he said, “I don't understand why such accidents are taking place.” He, however, evaded a direct reply when asked about allegations that Banerjee was concentrating on West Bengal politics and in turn ignoring her department.

Noisy scenes broke out in the West Bengal Assembly today over the major train mishap in Birbhum district with ruling Left Front members demanding immediate resignation of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on moral grounds. The Left Front MLAs accused Banerjee of being indifferent to the safety and security of passengers - a charge vehemently denied by legislators of her party Trinamool Congress and ally Congress.

Congress chief whip Asit Mal dubbed the demand for Banerjee's resignation as politically motivated and alleged that the attempt to politicise the tragic incident was not proper even as Speaker H A Halim expressed concern over frequent train accidents. Halim said there was something wrong somewhere but did not apportion any blame or hint at any conspiracy.

Raising the issue, senior CPI-M member Robin Mondal alleged that the only aim of the Railway Minister seemed to be how to become chief minister after the 2011 Assembly polls. He also alleged that there was utter neglect of maintenance and safety and security of passengers.

Railway travel had become unsafe and passengers were nervous to undertake journeys, he said. Mondal, who was strongly backed by other Left Front members, said the Railways engaged in self-publicity with regular newspaper advertisements on introduction of new trains and other activities, ignoring the basic need for safety. When improving infrastructure and ensuring proper functioning of the inter-locking system and brakes were the need of the hour, the Railway Minister was found wanting and negligent, he said.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, meanwhile, sought to dismiss all suggestions that Banerjee's absence from her Ministry was the reason for recurrence of train accidents.
“Accidents are accidents. Nobody can predict, that's why it is an accident. I don't think so,” he told reporters when asked whether the country needs “a full-time” Railway Minister as there was another accident in less than two month.

Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has condoled the loss of lives in the train accident in Sainthia and conveyed her deep condolences to the bereaved families and wished speedy recovery to the injured.

On May 28, 148 people had lost their lives in another accident in the state when the Jnaneshwari express had met with an accident near Jhargram, with the Railway minister alleging a 'political conspiracy' behind it.