Congress hits out at Modi for not visiting rail accident site

The Congress on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the site of a major rail accident near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, which left over 140 people dead.

It also slammed the government for not spending enough on the safety and security of the railways, while spending huge amounts for Bullet Trains.

The deaths rose to 142 on Monday in one of the worst rail accidents in the country when the Indore-Patna Express rolled off the tracks near Kanpur early on Sunday, officials said.

"We are shocked that the prime minister didn't even visit the site of the accident, despite being in the state for a rally," Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said here.

"We have seen this before... The PM did very little when farmers were committing suicide due to acute rural distress," he added.

Scindia said: "Instead of spending so much of money on Bullet Trains, the government could have invested the same amount in safety and security of the railways."

The Congress also accused the government of creating an economic logjam in the entire country by demonetising old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

"Today farmers are being forced to run from pillar to post because they have no money to buy seeds or fertilisers. They are being forced to walk 10 km to the nearest bank to get some cash," Scindia said.

"The government has created an economic logjam in the country through this step (demonetisation)," he added.

He said the daily wage labourers were not being paid "because there is no money" to make payments.

"The common people in rural as well as urban areas are bearing the brunt of the government's decision," Scindia said.

--IANS

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