Bihar Bridge Collapse: BJP Blames Nitish Babu for Failing to Prioritize Safety
Nitish Kumar Orders Probe into Bihar Bridge Collapse: BJP Reacts Sharply
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered an investigation into the collapse of an under-construction bridge in Bhagalpur district. The incident, caught on video by locals, occurred on Sunday evening, causing a major embarrassment for the chief minister. This is the second time a bridge collapse has happened in the state, with a similar incident occurring last year.
In another incident, a portion of a bridge built across the Burhi Gandak River in Begusarai district also collapsed into the river. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Nitish Kumar has directed authorities to identify those responsible for the bridge collapse and hold them accountable.
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nitish Kumar’s former ally in the state, wasted no time in criticizing the incident.
Shehzad Poonwalla, a national spokesperson for the BJP, referred to the bridge as “the bridge of corruption” and took a dig at the chief minister. He tweeted, “The Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bhagalpur, Bihar – the dream project of CM Nitish Kumar – collapses. This is the second time the bridge has collapsed. Imagine the level of corruption! ₹1750 crores of taxpayer money takes Jal Samadhi with the bridge. THE BRIDGE OF CORRUPTION COLLAPSES EVEN AS NITISH BABU IS BUSY ATTEMPTING TO BE A BRIDGE OF OPPOSITION UNITY. Wait & see how Pappu Media ignores this story or somehow blames PM Modi for it.”
Priti Gandhi, another BJP spokesperson, suggested that Nitish Kumar should focus on issues within his own state rather than interfering in unrelated matters. She tweeted, “The Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bihar collapsed into the Ganga a few hours ago. The bridge, being constructed at a cost of ₹1710 crores, was meant to connect Khagaria & Bhagalpur districts.”
Amit Malviya, head of the BJP IT cell, questioned whether Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav would resign in light of the incident. He tweeted in Hindi, “Today, the bridge being built on the river Ganga between Sultanganj and Khagaria of Bhagalpur in Bihar collapsed. In 2015, Nitish Kumar inaugurated this bridge, which was supposed to be completed by 2020. This bridge has fallen for the second time. Will Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav resign immediately taking cognizance of this incident? By doing this, both the uncle and nephew can set an example in front of the country.”
Meanwhile, JDU MLA Lalit Narayan Mandal expressed disappointment over the bridge collapse and called for a thorough investigation into the incident. He stated, “We were expecting the inauguration of the bridge to happen by November-December later this year. But the way it collapsed is unfortunate. There must be a probe into the incident as there seems to be some fault.”
Officials are currently assessing the extent of the damage caused to the bridge. Bhagalpur SDO Dhananjay Kumar reported that the collapse involved a pillar and segment in the Parvatta area. So far, no loss of life or property has been reported.
Witnesses were shocked as at least two spans of the bridge, which was being constructed using a hybrid structure, sank into the water. The bridge, built by SP Signla Construction Limited for the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL), collapsed due to what is believed to be structural mishandling and design faults.
