Congress Calls for SIT Probe into Vadodara Bridge Collapse, Lists 16 Major Tragedies in Four Years

Quick Summary

• Incident: A bridge in vadodara, Gujarat, collapsed on July 9, 2025. This follows reports of 16 similar incidents over the past four years.
• Congress’ Allegations: The congress party has demanded the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and home Minister Harsh Sanghavi. They have also called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the repeated mishaps.
• Criticism of BJP Governance:

– Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused BJP leadership in Gujarat of corruption, incompetence, and neglecting public warnings about infrastructure risks.
– He referenced earlier tragedies such as the Morbi bridge collapse in which 135 died (2022),multiple fire incidents,and a boat capsize that collectively claimed dozens of lives.

• Alleged Official Inattention: Claims were made indicating citizens flagged concerns about the Vadodara bridge three years ago due to “dangerous vibrations,” but no action was taken by authorities.
• Valuation of Lives Criticized: Jignesh Mevani criticized the government’s practice of providing ₹4 lakh compensation per victim as placing an inadequate value on human life.
• Internal Congress Meeting: Rahul Gandhi met with Congress leaders from Gujarat to strategize ahead of the State Assembly election in 2027.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The series of infrastructure failures in Gujarat raises critical questions about governance priorities and accountability. The collapse not onyl points to potential lapses in engineering oversight but also reflects broader institutional weaknesses within public systems tasked with safety management. If public warnings indeed whent unheeded for years as alleged, this represents a severe breakdown in responsive governance.

For India at large, frequent accidents-whether involving bridges or trains-undermine trust in infrastructure growth touted under flagship projects like “Make In India” or “Smart Cities.” This incident could invite scrutiny not just on state-level leadership but on larger federal mechanisms ensuring consistent quality control across India’s advancing urban landscape.

Strategically for opposition parties like Congress aiming to revive their standing after setbacks at national levels, such tragedies offer them leverage to articulate an option vision emphasizing openness and citizen welfare over administrative complacency. Voters’ sentiment ahead could be significantly shaped if these repeated cases aren’t addressed decisively by current governments.

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