Sanjay Raut pointed to the resignation of Madhavrao Scindia and Lal Bahadur Shastri from the post of Railway Minister.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday hit out at the Narendra Modi-led central government over the Balasore train accident and demanded that the government fix responsibility for the incident. "They (central government) talked about 'Kavach', but it is not there. They only give false assurances."

Sanjay Raut pointed to the resignation of Madhavrao Scindia and Lal Bahadur Shastri from the post of Railway Minister when major rail accidents took place during their respective tenures. "Madhavrao Scindia and Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned (as ministers) on moral grounds. Is it not the responsibility of the central government and the railway minister?"

Several opposition parties have criticised the Modi government over the Balasore train accident, with many leaders also demanding the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The Congress also questioned the Centre for initiating a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any other law enforcement agency cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures.

"Continuous flawed decision-making has made rail travel unsafe and in turn has added to the woes of our people," he said.

"Unfortunately, the people in charge (you yourself and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw) do not want to accept that there are problems. The Railway Minister claims that he has already found a root cause, but still he has requested the CBI to investigate. The CBI is investigating. But its job is to investigate crimes, not railway accidents. The CBI or any other law enforcement agency cannot hold accountable for technical, institutional and political failures. Moreover, they lack technical expertise in railway safety, signalling and maintenance work."

The incident took place around 275 pm on Friday when the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary goods train after entering the loop line instead of the main line near Bahanga Bazar railway station in Balasore. The Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was also hit by this accident. At least 1 people have died and more than 100,<> have been injured in this accident.

Read Also:

• Odisha train accident: DNA samples being taken in suspected cases before handing over bodies to relatives
• "You are running a mega shopping mall of hate...", BJP hits back at Rahul Gandhi's 'Mohabbat Ki Shop'