NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Thursday hit out at the BJP government over the bridge collapse in Gujarat’s Vadodara district, accusing the ruling party of ignoring safety concerns while focusing on publicity and speeches.
Thirteen people were killed after a section of the four-decade-old Gambhira-Mujpur bridge collapsed on Wednesday morning, sending several vehicles plunging into the Mahisagar river. Two more bodies were recovered on Thursday, taking the death toll to 13. Five others who were rescued are being treated at SSG Hospital in Vadodara. Doctors said none of them are in critical condition.
The bridge, which connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region, collapsed around 7 am. According to reports, concerns had been raised about the bridge’s safety three years ago due to "vibrations", but no action was taken.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post in Hindi that such accidents had become frequent across the country — from train derailments to bridge collapses and even plane crashes. “We have deep condolences for the families of the victims,” he said.
Citing media reports, Kharge said the Gujarat bridge collapse was the seventh such incident in the state since 2021. He alleged that the BJP leadership was indifferent to public safety and blamed the collapse on “a leadership crisis, widespread corruption, and incompetence” under BJP rule.
“The BJP leadership and government have crossed all limits of indifference as they remain busy only in making speeches and issuing advertisements in the name of ‘governance’,” he said.
Kharge said he hoped the people of the country were watching and would respond at the right time.
Police and rescue officials confirmed that the search operation was completed after all vehicles and victims were accounted for. A probe into the cause of the collapse is expected to be launched soon.