Congress refuses to say if satisfied with Mamata as minister

NEW DELHI - The Congress party Monday sidestepped questions on whether Trinamool Congress chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee would be removed after the train accident in West Bengal, the second major one in the state in less than two months, in which at least 61 people were killed.

Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed, asked by reporters, if the party was satisfied with the performance of Banerjee, gave an evasive answer, “It is not a question of being satisfied or not.”

“It is very difficult to comment without an enquiry,” Ahmed said.

Replying to another query on whether Banerjee would be removed from the railway ministry if there is a cabinet reshuffle, the Congress spokesman said: “It is for the prime minister to decide which minister will remain in which ministry and for how long.”

“The prime minister does whatever is in the national interest,” he added.

Ahmed said the party was confident the railway minister would fix responsibility after the enquiry report is submitted.

Asked about Banerjee’s moral responsibility, he said it is natural that the concerned minister will be worried about such an incident.

However, he said it is not possible to ascertain the reasons for the accident till the enquiry report is submitted.

The Congress also expressed hope that the railway authorities would take adequate steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

“We hope government will take every possible step, so that such incidents are not repeated.”

At least 61 people were killed and 150 injured when a speeding passenger train ploughed through a stationary train in West Bengal’s Birbhum district in the early hours of Monday.

It was the second train disaster in the state in less than two months that have taken a toll of over 200 lives.

Ahmed said political parties should not try to make political mileage out of the incident.