Patna: Terming the Centre and Railway ministry as “worthless”, former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today sought apology and compensation for the people of the state who are unable to celebrate Chhath festival due to its “mismanagement”.
“People are forced to travel as cattle in trains. They have to travel in toilets despite paying full fare. The people of Bihar are unable to celebrate the great festival of Chhath with honour due to mismanagement by the useless Central government. It is against Bihar. The Railway ministry is worthless,” Kumar said in his post on a social media site.
Kumar, who had twice been the Railway Minister between 1999 and 2004, hit out at the Railway Ministry saying it “should be ashamed that people lost their lives and limbs due to its mismanagement”.
“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,” Kumar added.
The former Chief Minister also asserted that JD (U) will fight for the prestige and faith of the people of Bihar till justice is done.
The senior JD (U) leader has also attached various newspaper clippings with his post, depicting the misery of train passengers travelling from New Delhi to their native places in Bihar on the occasion of Chhath, a festival dedicated to the Sun God, which will be celebrated this year on Oct 29 and 30.
The newspaper reports, which Kumar has tagged, speak about death of a passenger to Bihar and injuries to others in the melee on New Delhi railway station and overcrowded trains.
In an earlier post on the same site yesterday, Kumar had raised the issue asking why the Central government cannot provide basic rail facilities to the people of Bihar, on way home to celebrate Chhath with their family.
“The government which is boasting of bullet trains and increasing rail fares as per its whims cannot provide basic facilities on the occasion of festival? Helpless people have to travel in inhuman conditions. Women and children are being misbehaved with,” Kumar had written.
The former Chief Minister, who abdicated his post in May this year after his party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, said in his post that everybody from Bihar should seek answer from the Central government about such a situation.
“The Government of India and the Railway Ministry will have to answer why such misbehaviour is going on with the devotees travelling to Bihar for Chhath festival,” Kumar said. He also wrote that the earlier railway ministers had no antipathy towards Bihar and they used to provide ample special trains during the festival season. The present BJP government at the Centre is against Bihar and its people.
