In New York, Rahul Gandhi Flays Centre Over Odisha Triple Train Tragedy

New York: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently touring the United States, has made a stinging attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP saying they never talk about the future, and always blame somebody else in the past for their failures. Rahul Gandhi said this while addressing the members of the Indian diaspora in the Javits Centre here. They observed a 60-second silence in respect of those who died in the Odisha train accident.

"I remember a train accident when the Congress was in power. The Congress did not get up and say 'Now it is the fault of the British that the train has crashed'. The Congress minister said 'It's my responsibility and I'm resigning'. So this is the problem we have back home, we make excuses and we are not accepting the reality we are faced with," Rahul Gandhi said, without naming the Congress minister.

The Congress leader said the BJP and the RSS are incapable of looking into the future. "He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is trying to drive the car...The Indian car and he looks in the rear-view mirror. Then he does not understand why this car is crashing, not moving forward. And it's the same idea with the BJP, with the RSS. All of them. You listen to the ministers, you listen to the prime minister. You will never find them talking about the future. They only talk about the past," he said.

"The BJP and the RSS are incapable of looking into the future. They never talk about the future; they only talk about the past. And they will always blame somebody else for the past," he said. He said there is a fight going on back in India between two ideologies -- one represented by the Congress and the other by the BJP and the RSS.

"The simplest way to describe this fight is that on one side you have Mahatma Gandhi and on the other side, Nathuram Godse," he said.

Shri @RahulGandhi mesmerised the Indian diaspora in New York, USA!

The power of his words echoed through the hearts of the massive crowd, marking an unforgettable chapter in our shared history. pic.twitter.com/HyE5kbsQof — Congress (@INCIndia) June 4, 2023

He also praised the Indian-American community for the way they have lived in the US. "All the giants that have emerged from India, you can see that there were certain qualities that all of them possessed. Firstly, they searched for, represented and fought for the truth. Secondly, all these people were humble, and there was no arrogance in them. That is how Indians have worked in the US, and that's why Indians are successful here. I respect and honour you for that."

The accident involving three trains has left at least 280 dead and brought into focus the issue of railway safety. There has been a demand for the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from some quarters.

Rail Ministry Seeks CBI Probe Into Odisha Triple Train Crash

Meanwhile, the Union Railways Ministry has sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the three-train pile-up in Odisha's Balasore. "Keeping in mind all that happened, the information that the administration has, the Railways board has made a recommendation that the investigation be handed over to the CBI," Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters.

The Rail Minister had earlier attributed the horrific collision to a change in "electronic interlocking" and said all will be revealed soon in a report. "The setting of the point machine was changed. How and why it was done will be revealed in the probe report... I will just say that the root cause and the people responsible for the criminal act have been identified," he said.

The Railways said due to a "signalling interference", the Coromandel Express met with an accident and its engine and coach crashed into a goods train laden with iron ore stationed on one of the loop lines.

More than 270 people died and nearly 900 people were injured in Friday's accident, which is being described as one of the worst train accidents in the country.