New Delhi: The opposition parties on Thursday criticised the Centre for the derailment of North East Express in Bihar in which four people died and several others were injured


On Wednesday, twenty-three coaches of the train, on the way to Assam from Delhi, derailed near Raghunathpur station around 9.53 pm. This is the second major derailment accident after the Balasore train accident. 


AAP leader Sandeep Pathak said that the budget for railway safety was cut short and funds were not fully utilised.


"Report about fault in tracks is nothing new. Majority of the rail track network in our country is old and need replacement. Even the CAG report has pointed this out," the senior leader further stated, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways.






Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren condoled the deaths in the mishap and said, "From plying to maintenance - it is their (Centre) duty. Recruitment is also their duty. So, responsibility for safety is also theirs...I express my sympathies to all the affected people. It should be discussed to see and ensure that such incidents do not happen."




Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that accountability of the Railway Ministry and the Central government be fixed.


"This is the second major derailment accident after the Balasore train accident of June 2023. Accountability of the Railway Ministry and the Central Government should be fixed," he said in a post in Hindi on X.


Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "Recurring train accidents and resultant death toll is yet another area of BJP govt's glaring failure. High flying promises lie shattered".


Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor also criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for not visiting the accident site in Buxar district.


Kishor was of the view that if such an incident had taken place in the US, the president would have met the survivors to enquire about their well-being.


"The failure of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to visit the site speaks volumes about the arrogance of the political class in Bihar," Kishor told reporters when asked about the accident.


"Be it Nitish Kumar or his ally Lalu Prasad, they are smug in their belief that people will vote for them because of caste and religious considerations. Hence, they feel no need to express solidarity with the people in times of crisis," alleged the IPAC founder, who had worked for the two leaders in a professional capacity in the 2015 assembly polls.