If terror derailed train, it’s 2nd biggest attack after 26/11: Cong

KANPUR TRAIN ACCIDENT

DEMANDING A probe into the Kanpur train accident, the Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “low-level politicking” by using a sensitiveunder-investigationissue to attack his political opponents.

This comes a day after Modi claimed at an election rally in UP that the accident in November, which left more than 150 people dead, was a “conspiracy, and conspirators carried it out sitting across the border”.

“It does not suit the stature of the Prime Minister to comment on an ongoing investigation and influence it while speaking in an election rally,” senior Congress spokesperson C P Joshi said. “By making this a political tool to attack his opponents, Modi has again stooped to extremely low level of politicking.”

The Congress, Joshi said, is calling for a “firm, proper and fair investigation” into the accident.

Modi had Friday said asked if “cross-border enemies want to carry out their work, is it not necessary that more vigil is maintained in Gonda”. Gonda is a district adjoining Nepal.

Joshi claimed that the PM has “made no bones about the fact that he wants to flaunt the polarisation card”. Joshi asked several questions of the PM on the internal security front. If, as Modi says, the Kanpur train accident was a terror attack, Joshi said, then “isn’t it the second biggest terror attack after 26/11 Mumbai attack?”

Pointing out that then Home Ministershivrajpatilhadresigned in the wake of 26/11, Joshi asked, “Will the PM ensure accountabilityandresponsibilityofhomeminister Rajnath Singh and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu by makingthemresign?orisitthatsingh is only being used in UP polls for politicalbenefits,andisgoingtobe dropped afterwards?” Joshi also said,“isitnotafactthat191jawans havebeenmartyredinterrorincidents in Jammu and Kashmir in thelasttwo-and-a-halfyears?will the PM take responsibility for it?”

Pointingoutthatindiahadearlierinvitedpakistan’sisitoinvestigate the Pathankot terror attack, Joshi said, “Since the PM is now stating its involvement in Kanpur accident,whydidthepminviteisi to investigate Pathankot?” Referring to recent arrests by Madhya Pradesh ATS, he said these have “completely exposed” the “chaal, charitraandchehra(conduct,character and face)” of the BJP.