Trinamool Congress leaders on Sunday accused the Centre of trying to cover up the stampede at the New Delhi railway station and demanded that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw be sacked.
In a post on X, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the incident "deeply heartbreaking" and emphasised the need for better planning and management to ensure citizen safety, particularly during large religious gatherings like the Maha Kumbh."
"The tragic loss of 18 lives in the Delhi stampede is deeply heartbreaking. This painful incident highlights the importance of careful planning and management, especially when it comes to the safety of citizens," she said.
"Pilgrims on their way to the Maha Kumbh should have been met with proper support and facilities, not distress. It is essential to ensure that such journeys are safe and well-organised," she added.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh termed the incident "unfortunate, condemnable, and a result of gross mismanagement" by the railways.
"This is yet another example of the utter failure to ensure passenger safety. Reserved coaches are being occupied by outsiders, chaos is rampant, and now we have this horrific stampede. The Railway Minister is only interested in publicity! How many more lives must be lost before he realises he has no moral right to continue in office?" he said.
TMC Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose accused the government of "callously playing with the lives of Indian citizens" and called it "tragic beyond words".
"First Narendra Modi and his BJP deny any stampede. Then they call it a rumour. Then they admit a 'few people' 'injured'. Then BJP is forced accept a 'few' "may have" died," Ghose said in a post on X.
"The jumla party and its jumla government keeps covering up deaths and tragedy again and again and callously playing with the lives of Indian citizens. The 'minimum governance, maximum publicity' mantra of the Modi government is again exposed by the shocking New Delhi station stampede. Tragic beyond words," she said. -- PTI
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