Opposition Reminds PM Of His 2016 "Act Of Fraud" Taunt After Gujarat Bridge Tragedy

In the aftermath of the bridge collapse in Gujarat's Morbi that killed over 130 people, an old video of the Prime Minister while campaigning for the BJP in 2016 where he is targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has gone viral with Opposition parties asking him to hold his own party's government in Gujarat accountable to the same standards.

In 2016, after the Vivekananda Road flyover had collapsed right before the Bengal Assembly elections, the PM had targeted Mamata Banerjee, calling it an "act of fraud".

"Such a huge bridge came crashing down, and what did these people say? They say it's an act of God. Didi, this is not an act of God, this is an act of fraud. This is the result of the act of fraud. It's definitely an act of God to the extent that it came down during elections and people got to know what kind of government you have been running. It is a message from God to the people that today the bridge has come down and tomorrow Bengal will be finished," the PM had said.

The PM had also slammed Ms Banerjee for blaming the accident on the Left, as they had awarded the contract while in power before her. 

"As soon as she reached (the accident site), the first thing she said was that the Left had given these contracts. Whether it's the Left or the Right, think about those are dying first, Didi! Respect the dead," he had said in April 2016.

Calling the West Bengal Chief Minister "shameless", the PM had said she would have gladly cut the ribbon and claimed credit for the flyover on successful completion but is blaming it on the Left because it collapsed. 

Opposition parties have asked why the PM should not hold his own party accountable to the same standards when so many more have died in the bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat. Trinamool Congress is now hitting back at the PM for his comments after an unfortunate flyover collapse in Kolkata in 2016. They accuse the PM of making it a political issue at the time while speaking at a rally in Madarihat after the incident took place.

TMC Leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekar Roy tweeted, "PM Modi Taunts Mamata Banerjee Over Kolkata Flyover Collapse. Let there be a few drops of tears, Modiji, over the death of 132 persons in newly renovated bridge collapse in Gujarat yesterday."

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, "Reminds me of the Act of God and Act of fraud speech given by the Prime Minister when a bridge in WB collapsed. Not sharing the video because of his sheer insensitivity, just as insensitive & careless as this."

Nearly 30 people had died during the bridge collapse in Kolkata in the middle of the election campaign in the state, and the BJP had turned it into a political issue. The under-construction flyover had collapsed on March 31, 2016.