RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was at his acerbic best as he tore into the Bihar government over the recent spate of bridge collapses in the state.
Taking to X, Yadav said in Hindi, “Congratulations! Due to the double power of the double engine government in Bihar, a mere 5 bridges have collapsed in just 9 days. The double engine NDA government comprising 6 parties, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has sent auspicious and bright wishes of Mangalraj (good rule) to the people of Bihar on the collapse of the 5 bridges in 9 days.”
His comments came in the wake of an under-construction bridge collapse in Madhubani district's Jhanjharpur, the fifth such incident in the past 11 days. The 77-meter-long bridge, under construction for the last two years and with an estimated cost of around Rs 3 crore, was being built under the Prime Minister's Rural Road Scheme by Bihar's Rural Development Department.
Mocking the Nitish Kumar government’s claims of "good governance feats," the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly added, “The self-proclaimed honest people are calling the thousands of crores of rupees being lost by the public due to the collapse of bridges as ‘courtesy’ rather than ‘corruption.’”
With his tongue firmly in cheek, Yadav suggested, “Opposition leaders should resign after bridges are submerged in water.”
In addition to the Madhubani incident, four other bridges have collapsed in the last 11 days, raising serious questions about construction standards and oversight. On June 18, a bridge over the Bakra River in Araria, built at a cost of Rs 12 crore, collapsed.
This was followed by a four-decade-old bridge over the Gandak River in Siwan falling on June 22. A day later, on June 23, a bridge under construction in East Champaran, costing around Rs 1.5 crore, also collapsed, with locals blaming the use of substandard materials.
The most recent incident occurred on June 27, when a bridge over a small tributary connecting the Kankai and Mahananda rivers in Kishanganj gave way. A video capturing the bridge collapse also went viral.
In response to the series of collapses, the state government’s rural works department held a review meeting earlier this week to assess the status of bridges and culverts across the state. Officials have been given a week to submit a comprehensive report.
The frequent bridge collapses have drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders, who are calling for a fair investigation and appropriate action against those responsible.
