Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar condemned the Centre and Railway ministry as “worthless” for the “mismanagement” that deterred citizens of the state from celebrating Chhath.
Kumar’s post on a social media site linked to several newspaper clippings that detailed the festival’s disturbances. Death and injuries in overcrowded trains and a chaotic New Delhi railway station marred this year’s celebrations. “People are forced to travel as cattle in trains. They have to travel in toilets despite paying full fare. […] It is against Bihar. The Railway ministry is worthless,” posted Kumar.
The former Chief Minister, who served twice as Railway Minister between 1999 and 2004, asserted that his party JD(U) would stand by the people of Bihar until justice was served – “We demand that the Railway ministry to apologise to the people of Bihar and take action. The families of those who died should be given compensation and jobs. The injured should be treated and compensated. Full fare should be returned to the passengers who did not get facilities as per their tickets.”
In response to yesterday’s Chhath, Rival political group Delhi BJP today requested additional police force and disaster management squads for railway stations. The official statement released today said, “Delhi BJP Chief […] shall again raise the demand to ensure immediate deployment of squads, extra police force and marshals at railway stations for ensuring safety.”
