Congress slams Centre over Delhi airport roof collapse, cites rampant corruption, negligence

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, June 27

The Congress party has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government following the tragic roof collapse at Terminal 1 of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The incident, which was triggered by heavy rains, resulted in the death of one person and left five others injured.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge minced no words in his condemnation, attributing the collapse to “corruption and criminal negligence.”

“The shoddy infrastructure, falling like a deck of cards, is a glaring testament to the past ten years of PM Modi’s governance,” Kharge stated.

He pointed to a series of infrastructure failures, including the Jabalpur airport roof collapse, poor condition of new roads in Ayodhya, leaks in Ram Mandir, cracks in Mumbai Trans Harbour Link road, collapse of 13 new bridges in Bihar between 2023 and 2024, submersion of the Pragati Maidan Tunnel, and the Morbi bridge tragedy in Gujarat.

“These stark instances expose the tall claims by PM Modi and the BJP of creating ‘world-class infrastructure,’” Kharge added.

The Congress president recalled the Prime Minister’s statement during the inauguration of Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1 on March 10, where PM Modi referred to himself as a “doosri mitti ka insaan” (a man of different mettle).

Kharge criticised this as false bravado and accused the Prime Minister of indulging in ribbon-cutting ceremonies merely for electoral gains.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also reacted strongly to the incident. She condemned the BJP’s ‘corrupt model’ of ‘take donations and give business,’ which she said has now been exposed. ‘The question is, will the Prime Minister, who inaugurates everything, take responsibility for these substandard construction works and this corrupt model?’ she wrote on her account on X.

Gandhi added, ‘In March, the Prime Minister inaugurated Terminal this is the corrupt model of “take donations and give business” of the BJP, which has now been exposed.’