India News | CPI Demands Probe on Gujarat Bridge Collapse Incident
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday sought a comprehensive probe over the sudden collapse of the recently renovated bridge in Morbi city of Gujarat that claimed at least 134 lives.
Chennai, Oct 31 (PTI) The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday sought a comprehensive probe over the sudden collapse of the recently renovated bridge in Morbi city of Gujarat that claimed at least 134 lives.
The party's national general secretary D Raja, on a visit to Chennai after he was elected to the top position at the party congress in Vijayawada this month, said the suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Gujarat's Morbi city was recently renovated.
"It is a very saddening incident. Several people have lost their lives and many have been seriously injured. I express heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the affected families on behalf of the CPI and my own behalf," he said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said his party expected the Gujarat government to order a probe into the incident immediately.
The suspension bridge collapsed on Sunday evening killing at least 134 people. It was reopened for public five days ago after seven months of repair work by a private firm.
On the Coimbatore car blast case on Diwali eve, Raja said the truth behind the incident should be exposed. "The blast should be condemned. Whoever is involved in the act of terrorism should be properly investigated and punished. But this incident should not be utilised for political gains to criticise and defame the state government," he said.
The party's congress in Vijayawada had discussed several issues including the latest political development, the BJP government's attempt to divide the people on religious lines and utilising the office of governors to target duly elected state governments, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies have deepened the economic crisis. The nation is confronted with a weakening rupee and the country has gone down in the Global Hunger Index.
"Modi can say thousand things about development but all that is nothing but wordplay and lies. Modi's policies have weakened the rupee to a historic low and India is ranked below the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka in the Global Hunger Index," Raja said.
Also, he claimed that governors, instead of discharging their functions within the constitutional framework, were conducting themselves as agents of the Central government in the non-BJP ruled states. His party endorsed the popular view among the people that the gubernatorial post should be wound up, he said and added that those who criticised the Centre were branded as 'urban Naxalites', terrorists, Maoists and anti-nationals, he said.
The veteran leader appealed to all like-minded secular political parties to unite and dislodge the BJP government at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to protect the Constitution, democracy and state rights.
"Just like how the Secular Progressive Alliance is working in Tamil Nadu, secular parties, Left parties and social organisations should work together in other states to overthrow the fascist regime," Raja said.
He congratulated Brazil's Lula da Silva, who emerged as the country's new president defeating Jair Bolsonaro, and said people there realised that policies of the Left parties are better and voted accordingly.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)