New Delhi, Feb 25: The Congress party today demanded a thorough probe into the Kanpur train tragedy and it accused the Prime Minister of doing “low-level politicking” by using such sensitive matters to attack political opponents.
The opposition party’s attack comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda that the Kanpur railway accident, in which 150 people lost their lives in November last year, was a conspiracy which was hatched across the border.
“It does not suit the stature of the PM to comment on an ongoing investigation and influence it while speaking in an election rally. By making this a political tool to attack his opponents, Modi has again stooped to extremely low level of politicking,” Congress’ senior spokesperson C P Joshi said. “We demand that a firm, proper and fair investigation take place in this incident and the guilty (whosoever it may be) must be brought to book,” he said.
Accusing Modi of trying to divide the society in Uttar Pradesh on communal lines, he said people of the state will not take such language lying down and will give a united and a befitting reply to the BJP.
The Congress leader also predicted an electoral defeat of the BJP in the state and claimed that Modi had “lost his political balance”.
“The Prime Minister has lost his political balance in the wake of a definite electoral defeat staring at him. Not only has he brought down the dignity of the prime ministerial chair, he continuously brings insult to the oath of allegiance to the Constitution of India,” he claimed.
“Staring at imminent defeat in Uttar Pradesh, Modi’s sheer desperation is clearly visible. The Prime Miinister made no bones about the fact that he wants to flaunt the polarisation card,” he claimed.
The Congress leader also posed five questions to Modi, saying if he is telling the nation that the train tragedy is a terror attack, “then isn’t it the second biggest terror attack after Mumbai 26/11 terror attack?”
He said the then Home Minister Shivraj Patil had resigned, accepting responsibility of 26/11 attack, “Will the PM ensure the accountability and responsibility of present Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu by making them resign?”
“Or is it that Rajnath is only being used in UP elections for political benefits and is going to be dropped afterwards,” he asked.
