Even as condolences pour in and states mourn the death in the Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat, West Bengal’s old hurt, in the form of a taunt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, resurfaced. Modi, who had called a flyover collapse in Kolkata as an “act of fraud” instead of an “act of God” had not been appreciated by the people of West Bengal.
In 2016, a part of the Vivekananda flyover in Kolkata, which was under construction, collapsed claiming over 20 lives. Addressing an election rally in the state in the following April, Modi had said: “When such a big bridge crumbled, what do these people say? They say it’s an act of God. Didi (as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is commonly addressed) this is not an act of God, this is an act of fraud! Fraud!”
The Prime Minister had then gone on to say that it was an “act of God” only in the sense that the flyover fell at a time when elections were being held, and that God had given a message to the people of Bengal to see who Banerjee was running the state government. “God has given a message to people—like this bridge-collapse today, she (Banerjee) will finish off the entire Bengal, save it,” Modi had said.
Recalling the “act of fraud” comment, Congress leaders lampooned Modi asking him if the Morbi bridge collapse was an “act of God” or an “act of fraud”. The nearly 100-year-old suspension bridge over Machchhu river in Morbi, Gujarat, collapsed on Sunday, killing more than 100 people.
The hashtag “act of fraud” trended on Twitter with over 28,000 tweets by Monday evening and was being used by politicians and regular users alike—recalling and ridiculing Modi’s remarks from 2016. Most questioned under which category, “God or fraud”, did the Morbi bridge collapse come under.
Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and Congress Party leaders were some of the users who promulgated the hashtag to question the Gujarat tragedy.
“Despite renovation, the Morbi bridge in Gujarat collapsed. The death toll is at 141. Praying for the families of the deceased and injured. Throwback video from Bengal elections…. Is it (an) act of fraud? And close to elections so Act of god?” Sushmita Dev, Rajya Sabha MP from All India Trinamool Congress, asked on Twitter, while sharing PM Modi’s video clip from 2016.
While Banerjee extended her condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, praying for recovery of the injured, the party-handle took the opportunity to blame the BJP in Gujarat: “The Bridge collapse in Morbi was an AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY. The BJP Gujarat Govt has to take accountability for the deaths of over 140 people. Deaths occurred because the basic safety protocols were flouted by the administration. We fall short of words to condemn this callousness,” the party said on its official Twitter handle.