Aaditya Thackeray slams Union Min Ashwini Vaishnaw over Mumbai-Howrah Mail derailment

The Mumbai-Howrah Mail derailment killed 2 persons/ PTI

Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray slammed the Union government and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw following the Mumbai-Howrah Mail derailment on Tuesday. The former minister said that despite seeing frequent rail accidents, no action was taken against Vaishnaw and instead was given an additional charge by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), on Tuesday, Aaditya Thackeray wrote, "I don't know about the trains, but the minister for Railways has some 'Kavach' for sure, because of which he hasn't been sacked even after so many rail accidents in his tenure."

"Every week we see some accidents, and there's no action taken. Instead, the Minister has been made the ‘political in-charge' of BJP Maharashtra for the elections. Shouldn't he be focusing on the Ministry," the Sena (UBT) leader added.

Several other political leaders slammed the Centre over the Mumbai-Howrah mail derailment that killed two and injured at least 20 persons.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her concern over the Mumbai-Howrah mail derailment, questioning whether this was governance given that train accidents have become a routine occurrence.

"Another disastrous rail accident! Howrah- Mumbai mail derails in Chakradharpur division in Jharkhand today early morning, multiple deaths and a huge number of injuries are the tragic consequences, " she posted on X; she added, "I seriously ask: is this governance? This series of nightmares almost every week, this unending procession of deaths and injuries on railway tracks: for how long shall we tolerate this? Will there be no end to the callousness of the Government of India?"

Per a PTI report, party leaders Sagarika Ghose and Sushmita Dev too slammed the BJP-led union government over the Mumbai-Howrah Mail derailment and accused the railway ministry of not taking accountability.

"This is becoming the new normal. Accountability of @AshwiniVaishnaw ji is zero. The GOI has no answers whatsoever," senior TMC leader and MP Sushmita Dev posted on X.

While Ghose wrote, "How many more train accidents shall it take for the Modi government to wake up from its slumber? People are suffering, people are being put through hardships and misery while the Modi government continues to escape accountability and responsibility for rail safety. We have a part-time rail minister as Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is too busy looking after election management in poll-bound states to bother too much with the railway ministry."

Mumbai-Howrah Mail derailment kills 2

At least 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan area early on Tuesday, killing two people and injuring 20 others, according to officials.

The accident occurred at 3.45 a.m. near Barabamboo, some 80 kilometres from Jamshedpur, on the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway (SER), according to officials.

With PTI inputs