‘Mamata’s rise in politics has been over her dirty politics over dead bodies’.
The BJP has accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of “playing dirty politics over dead bodies” with regards to the death in the horrific train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district in Friday night that took away the lives of 238 people and injured at least 900 others.
BJP West Bengal’s Chief Spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya told The Sunday Guardian, “Mamata Banerjee is known for playing politics over dead bodies. Her rise in politics have been over her dirty politics over dead bodies. We cannot expect anything good from her or her party.”
Bhattacharya further added that only Mamata Banerjee and her party can stoop down to such a low level when the nation is mourning over the tragic accident. “We don’t want to play any politics. It is unfortunate and pains all of us with what has happened with this tragic accident. But she took this opportunity to create a furore over dead bodies. Let me remind you that the railways were one of the worst performing under the UPA and when she was the Railway Minister,” Bhattacharya told this newspaper.
A public spat broke out between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw when the former visited the accident spot in Balasore district. She took the opportunity while addressing the media and claimed that as per her information, more than 500 people have died in the train accident. She said, “I have heard that the death toll could go as high as 500, because three bogies are still to be rescued.”
To this Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw quickly interjected her and corrected her that the official death toll as per the state government (Odisha Government’s) data the death toll is 238 and that the entire rescue process was complete. Banerjee was then seen asking Vaishnaw, how much has been the total death toll after the completion of the rescue operation, to which Vaishnaw once again reteriated it to be 238. She was seen not to be agreeing with the Railway Minister and further pressed that the death toll of 238 was of Friday and not of Saturday’s. After this, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Railway Minister both interjected her. After the clip went viral on social media, several people, including BJP IT cell head, Amit Malviya, lashed out at Mamata Banerjee for being “inhumane” even at the time of grief. Amit Malviya in his tweet said, “Just when one thinks Mamata Banerjee cannot be further embarrassment to humanity, she surprises again!”
On Friday evening, two trains—Coromondal Express crashed into a goods train just near the Baranaga Station in the Balasore and minutes later another superfast express train Shalimar-Bengaluru Express crashed and derailed toppling over the Coromondal Express in the same place.