Junqueras demands resignation of Paneque and Puente over "manifest incapacity" in Rodalies crisis

The Republican leader accuses the spokesperson of the Illa Government of protecting the State and making excuses for decades of underinvestment.

Generic image of a commuter rail station with train tracks and blurred figures of waiting passengers.
IA

Generic image of a commuter rail station with train tracks and blurred figures of waiting passengers.

The president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, demanded on Sunday in Barcelona the resignation of Minister Sílvia Paneque and Minister Óscar Puente for their "manifest incapacity" to handle the Rodalies crisis.

The leader of Esquerra Republicana called for the departure of the Territory Minister of the Govern, Sílvia Paneque, and the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, stating that since they have resigned from their duties, they should be consistent. Junqueras attributed the railway crisis in Catalonia to "decades of underinvestment" by the State and criticized Paneque for making "excuses" and protecting the central Government instead of denouncing this reality.

"We are partners of Catalan society and of Catalonia."

Oriol Junqueras · ERC President
In a press conference at the party headquarters, Junqueras pointed out that the goal is not only to demand resignations but to seek solutions for a major problem affecting hundreds of thousands of people. He refuted the rain argument, noting that if it were the cause, all infrastructure would be affected, not just those belonging to the State, such as RENFE lines or the AP-7 highway. As evidence, he mentioned taking a Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat train from Sant Vicenç dels Horts to Barcelona without major issues.
The Republican leader argued that the Govern should first make a proper diagnosis, identify the problems, resume service, and articulate alternative solutions. He recalled that Adif has admitted the existence of 21 conflict points in the network, including a black spot at the exit of the Garraf tunnel, near Sitges, which has been reported since August and has not yet been mitigated. He also criticized the Minister of Business, Miquel Sàmper, for being in Madrid making statements at Fitur instead of facilitating teleworking.
ERC, despite being an investiture partner of the Illa Government, has maintained a highly critical stance. Recently, the Government and the Republicans finalized the new financing model and saw the launch of the new mixed Rodalies company. Nevertheless, Junqueras regretted the lack of progress on IRPF collection and the investment consortium.