India News | JD's Lalan Alleges Modi Govt Busy with Privatisation, Cares Little to Prevent Train Accidents

Patna, Oct 12 (PTI) JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' on Thursday charged the Narendra Modi government with having a penchant for "privatisation" and claimed that it was to be blamed for the train derailment in Bihar.

Talking to reporters here, he alleged that "no corrective steps" were taken after the deadly Balasore accident earlier this year since the Centre was "busy publicising Vande Bharat trains".

Also Read | Pimpri Chinchwad PSI Somnath Zende Wins Rs 1.5 Crore Dream11 Lottery, Gets Under Departmental Scanner.

"It is not for me to say anything about the derailment of the North East Express. Questions should be posed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said the JD(U) leader, when journalists approached him with queries.

"The prime minister has been flagging off a new Vande Bharat every day, oblivious to rail accidents that also keep taking place on a daily basis. He likes to pat his own back," Lalan alleged.

Also Read | Termination of Pregnancy: We Can't Kill Child, Says Supreme Court, Stresses Need To Balance Rights of Unborn Baby and Mother's Autonomy.

The JD(U) chief, whose party and supreme leader Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, are known for adherence to socialist ideology, also alleged that the Modi government thought privatisation was a panacea.

"They are privatising every sector and trying to do the same in railways, too. So many people died in Balasore. What came of the investigation? The government is too busy with its privatisation spree," Lalan said.

"With such skewed priorities, it is hardly surprising that people keep getting killed in train accidents," he said.

Notably, the accident in Bihar's Buxar district on Wednesday, which has claimed four lives, took place four months after three trains had collided in Odisha's Balasore, killing close to 300 people.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)