Varanasi flyover collapse: Narendra Modi a servant of politics and not people, says Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, following a tragedy earlier this week in which 18 persons were killed and termed him a "servant of politics", not of people.

Talking to reporters, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill also called upon Modi to initiate a probe into the allegations that some BJP leaders had sought to lure Congress and JD(S) legislators ahead of Saturday's trust vote in the Karnataka assembly.

Locals and rescue teams gather near crushed vehicles after a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi on Tuesday. PTI

Referring to Tuesday's tragedy in Varanasi, he said: "Modi only hears the sound of clapping and not people in pain... He does not get time to visit his people."

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Recalling Modi's remarks in the aftermath of a flyover collapse in West Bengal that the disaster was God's message to people to save West Bengal from its ruling Trinamool Congress, Shergill said that he should now "understand if the collapse of a portion of the flyover in Varanasi is a message and to whom".

"Modi displays so much passion in the election campaign. Why can't he show concern for people's pain? The prime minister can find time all around the year for election strategy but not even few hours for a tragedy in his own constituency,"

"The prime minister is guilty of betraying his own constituency and alienating his own people in this hour of grief. He is not a servant of people, he is a servant of politics," Shergill said.

Referring to Yeddyurappa stepping down as Karnataka chief minister ahead of his floor test, he said people saw "loktantra (democracy)" winning over "Moditantra" and Yeddyurappa was "no martyr" but "a corrupt politician".

"We hope the prime minister will order an investigation into the naked dance of corruption which their MLAs were indulging in for bribing and breaking the Congress and JD(S) MLAs," he said.