Odisha train tragedy: Opposition demands Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation

Friday’s train crash involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train near Odisha’s Balasore.

The triple train crash, one of the worst rail accidents in India in the last 20 years, shook the nation as horrific images from the crash site emerged.

Rescue workers struggled through wreckage and mangled coaches to recover bodies and look for survivors at the scene.

TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the central government of investing crores in surveillance software to spy on opposition leaders while ignoring the necessity of anti-collision systems in trains to avert accidents.

"My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, and if there remains a semblance of conscience, the Railway Minister should resign. NOW!" he wrote on Facebook.

In the same tune, the party's spokesperson Saket Gokhale said, "My fervent prayers for those affected & their families. ...That an alleged signalling failure led to 3 trains crashing is shocking beyond belief. There are serious questions which need answering," TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale tweeted.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam demanded that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw resign over the incident.

"Government concentrates only on luxury trains. Trains and tracks of common people are neglected. Orissa deaths are the result of it. Rail minister should resign. concentrate only on luxury trains. Trains and tracks of common people are neglected. Orissa deaths are the result of it. Rail minister should resign," Viswam said in a tweet.

CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya questioned the efficacy of signalling and safety system on Indian Railways and asked will such tragedies become the new normal.

"Do we no longer have any signalling and safety system in Indian railways? Or will such terrible tragedies become the new normal for rail travel in India? We owe an answer to the victims and to the families who lost their near and dear ones in this mishap," he said in a tweet.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut said the railway minister needs to resign.

"This is sheer negligence, the railway minister is from Odisha and should resign on moral grounds," Raut said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the incident reasserts the importance of safety in railway operations.

"It reinforces why SAFETY should always be the foremost priority in the functioning of the rail network. There are many legitimate questions that need to be raised but that should wait till tomorrow," Ramesh tweeted.