New Delhi, Mar 10 (IANS): The BJP on Tuesday lashed out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for blaming the Railways for a fire that broke out at one of its offices in Kolkata, which left nine persons dead late on Monday night.

The BJP said that every time there is a tragedy in the state, Chief Minister Banerjee shifts the blame on others.

BJP West Bengal co-incharge Amit Malviya tweeted, "Every time there is a tragedy in West Bengal, all that Mamata Banerjee does is shift blame. She blamed the Left for the bridge collapse in 2016 and fire in AMRI hospital. Social media was blamed for Dhulagarh riots and now Railways is being blamed for the fire in which they have lost their people."

He pointed out that in March 2010, when she was in the opposition, Banerjee had questioned lack of disaster management protocols after the Park Street fire incident.

"But after 10 years in office, there has been no improvement in the track record of fire safety. Once again, negligence of the state has led to loss of lives," he said.

Malviya pointed out that West Bengal needs a proactive disaster management policy and equipping local bodies with fire fighting equipment.

"Appropriate protocols are required to be put in place. The state also needs a transparent and efficient fire fighting policy with mechanisms to certify buildings for fire preparedness. 'Pishi' has failed Bengal," he said.

Earlier, Banerjee had lashed out at the Indian railways, claiming that no one visited the spot where a fire killed nine people at the Eastern Railways office in Kolkata.