INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Four BJP MPs from Karnataka, including former chief minister Sadananda Gowda, have written a letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun
Kharge criticising him for his recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which they said was "high on rhetoric and low on
Mallikarjun Kharge to PM Modi on Odisha rail tragedyNEW DELHI: A day after the Railways sought a CBI probe into the Odisha train tragedy,
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the probe agency is meant to investigate
crimes, not railway accidents, and cannot fix accountability for technical,Balasore train crash: Congress seeks FIR against PM, railway
minister for negligenceNEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Centre of dereliction of duty of Himalayan proportions in
the Balasore train tragedy and said an FIR should be lodged by the CBI against Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Prime Minister Narendra
At a press conferenceCAG report being used selectively, Railways to reply to Parliament soon: Govt sourcesNEW DELHI: In response to the CAG
report being cited by certain quarters related to the expense on safety by the Indian Railways, government sources have said that this
information is being selectively used
the PM based on facts seen on 'WhatsApp University' ..
But perhaps as the vice-chancellor of WhatsApp university, you are forced to regurgitate fake news as facts".Centre misused railway funds:
CongressOn Friday, the Congress cited a 2021 CAG report and claimed that the Centre "misused" funds meant for railway safety on crockery,
car rentals, furniture, laptops and foot massagers
"This is how funds specifically meant for railway safety were used
This is the CAG's finding," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter.Quoting the findings of the CAG report, he alleged
that the Modi government has been "misusing" Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) funds.Kharge's allegations and BJP's rebuttalKharge,
in his letter to the PM, pointed out that the CAG report titled 'Derailment in Indian Railways' highlighted that funding for the RRSK had
been reduced by a massive 79%
It was claimed during the budget presentation that about Rs 20,000 crore would be available annually, but this was not done, Kharge had said
and asked why were the required funds not allocated for track renewal work.However, data in the document showed that from 2017-18 to
2021-22, the railways spent more than Rs 1 lakh crore on RRSK work, said the letter by the BJP MPs
In February 2022, the government extended the validity of RRSK by another five years, starting 2022-23.On who should probe the
accidentKharge had also slammed Vaishnaw for involving the CBI, which he claimed lacked the technical expertise in railway safety,
signalling, and maintenance practices, to probe a train accident
"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," he had
argued.The BJP MPs said the Commissioner of Railway Safety was carrying out a meticulous inquiry and that the CBI was probing the "larger
implications" of the incident.On vacancies in railwaysThe Congress leader also pointed out that nearly 3 lakh posts were lying vacant in
Indian Railways.The BJP MPs said that in the last 9 years, the railways had appointed around 6 lakh youth
"The 5,518 freshly appointed assistant loco pilots quash your [Kharge] allegations on neglecting this sector," they added.On shrinking
budget and safetyIn the four-page letter, the former railways minister also demanded to know the reason for merging the Budget for Indian
travel unsafe.In response, the BJP MPs stated that the BJP led Centre had inherited a railways "gasping for breath"
"Nine years down the line, our efforts have injected it with newfound strength
Record progress has been made in electrification
Vande Bharat trains have been introduced and completely transformed travel experience
Around 1,275 stations are being redeveloped with modern facilities," read the letter by the BJP MPs.It further stated that expenditure on
railway safety has been over Rs 1.78 lakh crore out of which a major portion goes to track renewal."The safety record of the railways shows
that accidents have reduced by nearly three times from 0.10 per million train km in 2013-24 to 0.03 per million train km in 2022-23 ..
Our government isn't idly hoping for a better railways, we are actively building it," read the letter by the BJP MPs.(With inputs from
