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Basu ridicules Mamata's resignation

Ridiculing Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's resignation, former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu said on Monday that she was running away from responsibility.

At a hurriedly called press conference at his Salt Lake residence, Basu charged Banerjee with committing a 'thoroughly irresponsible act' by tendering her resignation in the wake of the train mishap in Ambala.

"Only a year back, there was a similar train accident about 30 km from Ambala. The country is yet to be told about the findings of the committee that was instituted soon after the tragedy. It's not for me to comment on Mamata's every resignation, but I feel that a mere resignation will not help find a solution of those mounting unresolved problems ailing the railways in India. We all know that general services in the railways are pathetically poor. There has never been any attempt to improve facilities for passengers, the backbone of the railways' income. The condition of tracks is awfully bad. Therefore, instead of quitting her post, Mamata should have accepted moral responsibility and tried to improve the system," Basu remarked.

According to the veteran Marxist leader, the escape route to problems plaguing Indian Railways was to do an in-depth study of all shortcomings with a sincere approach to find remedies. He felt that Mamata had failed to discharge her duty as Union railway minister following her 'hectic political compulsions' in Bengal.

"Since her appointment as a minister in-charge of railways, all she did was to flag off a new train every week. This is not the way to head the railway ministry. She can still make a lot of difference, but it will be entirely her prerogative to give a thought to her resignation. How many more deaths they want to see before actually waking up to reality? I hope right sense prevails among the powers-that-be of the Indian government and they finally take up problems related to the railways seriously,'' Basu added.

The ageing communist expressed dissatisfaction over the way there has been a conscious effort not to make the commissions' findings on rail mishaps public. He said that Mamata had merely attempted to find a political excuse by stepping down. Citing Mamata's resignation drama on the rollback of prices of petroleum products, Basu said that she was best at shirking responsibilities and passing the buck.

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