Why were grave red flags ignored: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to PM Modi on Odisha rail tragedy

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to PM Modi over the Odisha railway tragedy, saying “all the empty safety claims” of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have now been “exposed” and the government must bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on June 5 wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Odisha railway tragedy, saying "all the empty safety claims" of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have now been "exposed" and the government must bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident.

In his letter to PM Modi, Mr. Kharge hit out at the Railway Minister for seeking a CBI probe, saying the law enforcement agency is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents.

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"The people in charge – your goodself and Railway Minister Vaishnaw – do not want to admit that there are problems," the Congress chief said.

“The Railway Minister claims to have already found a root cause, but yet has requested the CBI to investigate. The CBI is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents. The CBI, or any other law enforcement agency, cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures,” Mr. Kharge argued. “In addition, they lack the technical expertise in railway safety, signalling and maintenance practices,” he said.

There is serious concern among the common passengers about this deterioration in safety of Railways, the Congress chief claimed. "Therefore, it is incumbent upon the government to ascertain and bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident," he said.