Hours after a stampede at Mumbai's Bandra terminus early this morning left nine people injured, the Shiv Sena (UBT) slammed Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and said it is shameful that the country has "incapable ministers" at the helm.
Taking to X, party leader and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya said the incident reflects "incapable" the minister is. "Wish the reel minister was a rail minister for once. The incident at Bandra only reflects how incapable the current Railways Minister is. The BJP has made Ashwini Vaishnav ji a Prabhari for BJP Maharashtra for elections, but every week there are some incidents and accidents that occur with the railways. Such a shame that our country has been forced under such incapable ministers," he said.
The Opposition uses the "reel minister" expression to take jabs at the Railways Minister over incidents of derailments and train accidents. Riled by the offensive, the minister said in Parliament in August, "We're not just people who make reels, we're people who work hard."
The Assembly election in Maharashtra is less than a month away and the BJP leadership has appointed Mr Vaishnaw, a former bureaucrat, the party campaign's in-charge.
The stampede at Bandra terminus, officials have said, was caused due to the passenger rush ahead of Diwali. While the condition of seven people is stable now, two have suffered critical injuries.
A Railways spokesperson said the incident took place when passengers tried to board the Bandra-Gorakpur Antyodaya Express.
"The train's scheduled departure was 5.15 am. Around 2.44 am, the train was being brought from the yard to the platform. Before the train stopped, some passengers tried to board it. Two people were injured and the Railways arranged an ambulance and rushed them to KB Bhabha Hospital. They are under treatment," he said.
The spokesperson said Railways runs special trains to tackle passenger rush during the festive season. "We request the passengers, suitable arrangements have been made, RPF, GRP and ticket checking staff are present. Please board trains in an orderly way and by queuing up. Please don't board moving trains. Please follow railway staff's instructions so that you reach your destination safely," the Railways spokesperson said.
The Gorakhpur-bound train has 22 compartments, all unreserved. People gathered on the platform from midnight to grab seats. Nearly 1,500 people were on the platform when the train came and a stampede broke out. Some people also fell on the tracks.
