Odisha Train Accident 'Shouldn't Be Politicised': Union Min Anurag Thakur As Oppn Targets Modi Govt

As the opposition questioned the Modi govt over the Odisha rail tragedy, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that the country needs to come together at such time and "politicisation of such issues should not be done".

Following the reactions from the leaders of the Opposition on the Odisha train accident, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday said that the country needs to come together on some issues rather than doing politics over it. The Union Minister further said that the cause of the incident is being probed though the current goal is to provide the best for the injured and help them in their speedy recovery. The death toll in the train collision accident was revised to 275 while more than 1,100 were injured in the incident. 

Thakur while talking to the reporters said, "We are investigating the cause of the incident, currently our focus is to provide the best possible treatment to the injured. Several people have lost their lives and I think the politicisation of such issues should not be done. The country needs to come together."

While talking about the victims of the triple train accident, he added, "We stand together with the families of the deceased in such tough times. Ex gratia of Rs 10 lakhs has been announced for the dead, Rs 2 lakh for the ones who have been critically injured and Rs 50,000 for the ones who sustained minor injuries."

He appealed to Opposition parties to not "do any politics" on this issue saying, "I would just like to request the opposition to not do any politics on this matter. The country should come together in such times. When we were helping the people during the Covid-19 pandemic, some people were still busy doing politics. It isn't required on every matter or on every occasion. On some issues, everyone should come together as it was a great loss for all of us."

Meanwhile, a preliminary investigation into the matter has revealed that a signal was given to Coromandel Express to enter the main line but it was taken off and the train entered the loop line and crashed into a goods train parked there, as reported by the news agency PTI. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the root cause of the accident has been identified and all the bodies have been removed. He also said that the target is to finish the restoration work by Wednesday morning so that trains can start running on this track.