NEW DELHI: Opposition parties criticise the Narendra Modi government for the Delhi airport canopy collapse, citing infrastructure failures.
The I.N.D.I.A. bloc criticised the Narendra Modi government for the collapse of a section of the canopy outside Terminal 1 at Delhi airport. The opposition targeted the BJP-led Central Government, highlighting the failures of several infrastructural projects recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress claimed that the victims suffered due to the “corrupt, inept, and selfish government.”
The grand old party, along with its I.N.D.I.A. bloc partners, the Aam Aadmi Party and Trinamool Congress, criticised the Central government for various incidents, including the Jabalpur airport roof collapse, leakage at Ram Mandir, issues at the Pragati Maidan Tunnel, and the Morbi Bridge collapse. The opposition parties claimed that corruption is prevalent in states governed by the BJP.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the incident, noting that Modi had previously praised his governance when inaugurating a building near Terminal 1 of the Delhi airport. Kharge asserted that the accident undermined Modi’s claims that India has world-class infrastructure under his rule. He also highlighted other incidents, such as the Jabalpur Airport roof collapse, Ram Mandir leakage, Pragati Maidan tunnel flooding, and the Morbi Bridge collapse in Gujarat. Kharge argued that these incidents expose the reality of Modi’s “tall claims.” He posted on his social media account, stating, “Corruption and criminal negligence are responsible for the collapse of shoddy infrastructure, which has been falling like a deck of cards over the past 10 years of Modi’s government.”
Kharge criticised the BJP government for rushing to inaugurate incomplete projects. He pointed out that on March 10, earlier this year, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated Terminal 1 of the Delhi Airport. He argued that this eagerness for ribbon-cutting ceremonies was a strategy used before elections. Offering condolences to the victims of the Delhi airport tragedy, Kharge stated that they suffered due to a “corrupt, inept, and selfish government.”
Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) also criticised the BJP, stating that the incidents reflect “Modi’s guarantee.” In a post on their X handle, TMC wrote, “A glimpse into PM Modi’s ‘guarantee’: crumbling under his lies.” They highlighted that the roof at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1, which Modi hastily inaugurated in March despite its unfinished state, collapsed just for election optics.
Similarly, the Aam Aadmi Party attacked the Prime Minister over the collapse of the Delhi Airport canopy, stating, “You said that you would neither be corrupt nor allow others to be corrupt. But today, due to your and your ministers’ corruption, innocent people are losing their lives.” AAP further asserted, “Wherever there is BJP, there is corruption.”
However, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, clarified, “The building inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi is on the other side; the building that collapsed is an older structure that opened in 2009.” He also announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the deceased and Rs 3 lakh for the injured. The minister stated that an investigation had been ordered into the roof collapse, which resulted in one death and six injuries.