In a bid to help the victims of the Odisha train tragedy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Varun Gandhi on Saturday urged his colleagues in India's Parliament to give a portion of their salaries to the families of those killed and injured.
He further stated that the priority should be to give support to the families and then they deserve justice.
Calling the train accident heart-wrenching, Gandhi tweeted in Hindi: “We should stand in support of the grieving families like a rock. I appeal to all my fellow MPs to aid the grieving families by giving a part of our salaries to them. They should be given support first, and then justice.”
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu State Chief M.K. Stalin also announced an assistance package of INR 500,000 ($6,067) for the families of the deceased and INR 100,000 ($1,213) for the injured.
Stalin also spoke to Odisha State Chief Naveen Patnaik and assured him of all possible assistance from his government.
Apart from this, West Bengal State Chief Mamata Banerjee has also announced an ex-gratia of INR 500,000 ($6,067) for the families of the decased.
Federal Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had announced a high-level probe into the tragic accident. He reached the spot early in the morning to take the stock of the situation.
Scores of politicians are reaching Balasore as well as Cuttack to meet the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the accident site and then Cuttack to meet the families of the deceased as well as injured.
The rescue operation at the accident site has been completed and now the authorities have started restoration work.