The federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida (IU) and spokesperson for Por Andalucía, Antonio Maíllo, has backed the demand of the candidate of Frente Amplio for the general elections of 29N, Ada Colau, for the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, to submit his resignation after the railway accident in Urda (Toledo), in which at least 69 people have died.
"I refer to the statements made by Ada Colau, a resignation has to serve on many occasions to remove ballast and so that the Government can resolve the problems we have at this moment and that must be front-line issues. I believe that the main service that can be done is precisely to give the maximum explanations and take the measures that do not weigh down the Government", he stated this Tuesday at a press conference held in the Parliament of Andalucía.
In relation to the session in the Lower House, Maíllo has indicated that he remains attentive to the appearance, requested by the minister himself, which will take place this Tuesday afternoon in Congress in order to offer clarifications about the railway disaster.
"The victims need not only our respect and recognition, but its translation into that recognition, respect and collective pain in providing all the resources to clarify the causes that led to this accident", Maíllo has emphasized, who has added that Puente "has to give many detailed and credible explanations".
The IU leader has expressed his support for those affected by the disaster and has insisted on the advisability of reaching a "State pact on infrastructure and mobility".
In this line, he has reiterated "We are very clear about the commitment to a renationalization of high speed, which is fundamental, because this disastrous period since 2012, in which Rajoy liberalized the infrastructure, must be ended, and which has to mark a turning point to recover the State's initiative on mobility and on railways", defending a change of course in railway policy.
In addition, he has urged the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, to "get down to work with the Government to address a mobility plan that, with an accident, Andalucía is left isolated".
Last Friday, Colau called for Puente's resignation over the railway accident, a demand that has also been joined by the leading candidate of Frente Amplio in Madrid, Emilio Delgado.
"I will not go into whether this resignation should take place today, tomorrow or the day after, but we believe it should take place as soon as possible, and let us hope that is so," Colau pointed out.
Likewise, the coalition’s candidate for the presidency of the Government has called for a State Pact to audit the railway network and greater investment in maintenance, with the aim of reversing the outsourcing of railway services.