Odisha accident: 12 parties demand Rail min's resignation, reject CBI probe

Rejecting a CBI probe into the Balasore train accident, Odisha units of 12 political parties, including Congress and Left parties, on Monday demanded the formation of a Special Investigation Team and resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to pave way for an impartial inquiry.

The parties, including Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(ML) Red Star, All India Forward Bloc, Samajwadi Party, RJD, NCP, RPI, AAP and Samata Kranti Dal, held a joint meeting here and passed a resolution stating that they rejected a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), accusing the central agency of "working at the behest of the BJP".

They demanded that a court-monitored investigation by the central SIT be conducted into the case.

However, the ruling BJD in Odisha welcomed the CBI probe and hoped that the "real culprit" behind the incident will be caught.

"There is no problem with a CBI probe. We want the real culprit to be nabbed," senior BJD leader and Odisha minister Pramila Mallik said.

In another press conference, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak also demanded Vaishnaw's resignation, alleging the incident took place due to the Railway Ministry's negligence.

"Therefore, both Vaishnaw and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be held responsible for the accident that claimed at least 275 lives," he said.

Accusing the Narendra Modi government of indulging in propaganda at the cost of ensuring safety measures in Railways, Pattanayak alleged that lack of adequate steps for the development of infrastructure and safety mechanism had led to the tragic accident.

The OPCC president also alleged that Vaishnaw was making contradictory statements about the train accident.

"On Sunday morning, he had stated that those responsible for the accident have been identified, but in the evening of the same day, he sought a CBI probe into the mishap," Pattnayak said.

Stating that misleading utterances was not acceptable, Pattanayak also demanded jobs for at least one member of family of the deceased.

Senior Congress leader Bijay Patnaik said Vaishnaw should resign as he is running the ministry "carelessly".

Reacting to the resolution, BJP state president Manmohan Samal claimed that the CBI is the best agency to probe such an incident.

"The Centre has given utmost importance to the accident and therefore announced a CBI probe the next day. The opposition should help people coming to collect the bodies of the relatives instead of doing politics at this juncture," he said.