On BJP's conspiracy claim, TMC echoes Congress: 'allowed ex-rail minister to…'

Bengal BJP leader and former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi claimed that the train accident in Odisha's Balasore was a result of a “meticulous conspiracy”.

The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday hit out at former rail minister Dinesh Trivedi for alleging that the Odisha train accident was a result of meticulous planning, and agreed with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's claim that the BJP leader was just trying to impress party high command to keep his government bungalow in Delhi. TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale said the Bharatiya Janata Party has allowed Trivedi to keep the bungalow meant only for serving MPs by appointing him to the ‘Digitization of Parliamentary Library’ committee.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale.

Gokhale also said that Trivedi is the only person on this committee.

Bengal BJP leader Dinesh Trivedi, who was the railway minister for a brief period in 2011-12 after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee quit the position to become the West Bengal chief minister, alleged manipulation in the interlocking system that led to the horrific train accident killing at least 275 people and injuring hundreds.

“Now with more findings coming up, I am more than 100% sure that this crash was caused by sabotage and not a mere accident,” Trivedi told News18.

Trivedi argued that another system called 'fail-safe' gets activated if the interlocking system goes haywire and all signals on the specific track turn red.

“To me, it seems like extensive planning and calculation leading to such incidents happening one after another in a matter of a few seconds,” he said.

Without taking any name, Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, tweeted: “A former Railway minister, who held office for 7 months and later defected to BJP, is coming up with cock-n-bull theories about the horrific Odisha accident.”

“He is desperately trying to impress the BJP leadership so he can keep his Lutyens Delhi bungalow, which he hasn’t vacated even after ceasing to be a MP 18 months ago. Pathetic!”

Reacting to the Congress leader's remark, Saket Gokhale said, “Perfectly said Mr. @Jairam_Ramesh! Incidentally, the BJP has allowed this former railway minister to occupy a Lutyens Bungalow by appointing him to the “Digitization of Parliamentary Library” committee.”

“How many people on this committee? ONE - only this man himself.”

“These bungalows are meant only for serving MPs. But an RTI response from LS & RS Secretariat tells me that the BJP has been giving these bungalows to all & sundry (including to BJP workers as “MP’s guest accommodation”) as gifts for prostrating before their leadership,” he added.