"Corruption and negligence" is responsible for the Delhi airport accident, says Kharge

In a scathing critique of the Modi government's track record on infrastructure, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has lambasted what he describes as a decade of rampant corruption and criminal negligence.

"Corruption and criminal negligence is responsible for the collapse of shoddy infrastructure falling like a deck of cards, in the past 10 years of Modi Govt" said Kharge on X.

Amid heavy rains early Friday, 28 June, a portion of the roof of the Delhi airport's Terminal-1 fell on cars, including taxis, resulted in at least one death and at least six were left injured.

Kharge points out various instances from the collapse of Delhi Airport's T1 roof to issues like the Jabalpur airport roof collapse, Ayodhya's road conditions, Ram Mandir leaks, and numerous bridge collapses which he says "exposes the tall claims by Modi ji and BJP of creating "World Class Infrastructure".

He criticised PM Narendra Modi's penchant for grand inauguration ceremonies, pointing to the irony of his "Doosri mitti ka insaan" remark during the Delhi Airport T1 inauguration on 10 March.

"All this false bravado and rhetoric was only reserved for quick indulgence in ribbon-cutting ceremonies before elections," Kharge lamented, emphasising the toll of such failures on ordinary citizens and infrastructure integrity.

Kharge's remarks come amid growing scrutiny and public outcry over the state of infrastructure in India, with demands for accountability and urgent reforms gaining momentum.

Apart from the airport roof collapse, widespread waterlogging, power cuts, traffic disruptions and flooding in low-lying areas have been caused by heavy rains in the national capital.

The absence of electricity in Samvidhan Sadan, the old Parliament House, sparked sharp criticism from Ramesh, who quipped that it is a symbolic "short circuiting of the Constitution".