Verbal Sparring Continues: Trinamul and BJP Clash Over Mizoram Bridge Tragedy

Trinamul Congress and BJP are still exchanging insults after the collapse of the Mizoram Bridge.

Trinamul Congress and BJP verbal spats have been stoked by the aftermath of the recent bridge collapse in Mizoram, which regrettably took the lives of 23 migrant laborers from Malda.

Trinamul officials have expressed worries about the railways' alleged lack of action against individuals responsible for the disastrous tragedy in Sairang, Mizoram, when a railway bridge that was still under construction fell, and have accused Governor C.V. Ananda Bose of siding with the BJP's interests.

In reaction, Trinamul has come under fire from the BJP for what they see to be politicizing the tragedy. The party said that the state government need to double the present Rs 2 lakh compensation sum given to the mourning families.

Firhad Hakim, the Trinamul Congress's minister for municipal affairs and urban development, traveled to Malda to distribute checks to the employees' families. Hakim spoke out against Governor Ananda Bose's visit to Malda the previous Friday at the occasion.

He came here, gave over some railway-issued checks, had some pictures taken, and then went, said Hakim, expressing his displeasure. This is not what a governor does. He is tasked with advising the government on what to proceed in these situations. However, he spends one day in Malda and the next in North Dinajpur. The governor is not allowed to take action, but the elected state government and, in more serious circumstances, the federal government may.

Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, a BJP MLA from Malda and the state spokesman for the party, attacked Trinamul's reaction, pointing out that Trinamul officials are using "filthy vocabulary" to disparage the governor's visit to Malda rather than expressing sympathy to the relatives of the victims.