BJP MPs slam Kharge, counter letter on railways | India News
NEW DELHI: Four BJP MPs from Karnataka, including former CM Sadananda Gowda, have slammed Mallikarjun Kharge for his recent letter to PM Narendra Modi in the wake of the Odisha train tragedy, saying the Congress chief’s letter was “high on rhetoric and low on facts”.
Kharge, in his letter, had highlighted 10 points and urged the government to bring out the ‘real rea son’ behind the Balasore triple-train accident, which claimed 288 lives.
On Kharge questioning CBI being roped in to probe the rail accident, the MPs said Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) is carrying out a meticulous probe into the accident, but “a CBI inquiry will also probe the larger implications of the incident”.
In a point-wise rebuttal to Kharge, the MPs, in their joint letter, have said that in the past nine years, railways made 4. 6 lakh recruitments and currently the process to appoint about 1. 5 lakh is on. “Thus inour 10 years, we would appoint more than 6. 1 lakh youngsters, which is almost 50% more than of 4 . 1 lakh candidates appointed during the 10 years of UPA,” they said. Rejecting the allegations that the loco pilots had to work longer and why their positions have not been filled, the BJP lawmakers said appointment of 5,518 assistant loco pilots recently “quash” his allegations.
In response to another point flagged by Kharge about railways ignoring a warning by a senior railway officer in February 2023 after “collision” between two trains in Mysuru, the MPs have said there was no collision. “It does not suit a leader of your stature to writeletters to the PM based on facts seen on ‘WhatsApp University’. But perhaps as the vicechancellor of WhatsApp University, you are forced to regurgitate fake news as facts,” they said adding that the matter was thoroughly investigated by railways and and action taken against those responsible.
On the allegations of the Railway Board ignoring the recommendations of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), the MPs said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism in its report has appreciated that almost 90% of the recommen dations of CRS have been accepted by the railway ministry in the last five years.
Kharge, in his letter, had highlighted 10 points and urged the government to bring out the ‘real rea son’ behind the Balasore triple-train accident, which claimed 288 lives.
On Kharge questioning CBI being roped in to probe the rail accident, the MPs said Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) is carrying out a meticulous probe into the accident, but “a CBI inquiry will also probe the larger implications of the incident”.
In a point-wise rebuttal to Kharge, the MPs, in their joint letter, have said that in the past nine years, railways made 4. 6 lakh recruitments and currently the process to appoint about 1. 5 lakh is on. “Thus inour 10 years, we would appoint more than 6. 1 lakh youngsters, which is almost 50% more than of 4 . 1 lakh candidates appointed during the 10 years of UPA,” they said. Rejecting the allegations that the loco pilots had to work longer and why their positions have not been filled, the BJP lawmakers said appointment of 5,518 assistant loco pilots recently “quash” his allegations.
In response to another point flagged by Kharge about railways ignoring a warning by a senior railway officer in February 2023 after “collision” between two trains in Mysuru, the MPs have said there was no collision. “It does not suit a leader of your stature to writeletters to the PM based on facts seen on ‘WhatsApp University’. But perhaps as the vicechancellor of WhatsApp University, you are forced to regurgitate fake news as facts,” they said adding that the matter was thoroughly investigated by railways and and action taken against those responsible.
On the allegations of the Railway Board ignoring the recommendations of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), the MPs said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism in its report has appreciated that almost 90% of the recommen dations of CRS have been accepted by the railway ministry in the last five years.
