Satya Niketan tragedy: Rahul seeks accountability, targets PM Modi over insults

Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi over Satya Niketan PG building collapse.

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and the BJP government over the collapse of a PG building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, accusing the government of failing to prevent such accidents and holding those responsible accountable.In a post on X, Gandhi accused that the BJP government follows a pattern of taking no preventive action before accidents and then “grandstanding” after tragedies, while blaming a few lower-level officials and allowing those he described as the “real culprits” to escape accountability.Gandhi said the Satya Niketan collapse was “no isolated tragedy” and referred to other recent incidents in Delhi, including deaths in Saidulajab and a fire in Hauz Rani. He alleged that lives and aspirations were repeatedly being lost in such incidents while meaningful action remained absent.“Every time, lives, dreams, and aspirations get buried under rubble, and every time, any real action is nowhere to be found,” Rahul said.The Congress leader also accused the Prime Minister of attempting to shame and silence those who question the government by using labels such as “dimagi naxal” and “naraz fufa”. He said the alleged lack of accountability was a consequence of a lack of political intent.“For 12 years, this government has spun you around with lofty talk about the whole world, but never addressed the real issues,” Gandhi said, questioning the BJP government’s record on public safety.

He also raised questions over governance in Delhi, saying the city has a “triple engine” government and asking what the excuse was for the administration’s alleged helplessness in dealing with recurring safety failures.Satya Niketan PG building collapsed during repair workThe building in Satya Niketan, near Delhi University’s South Campus, housed a boys’ paying-guest accommodation.It collapsed on Sunday while repair work was underway, leaving seven people dead and several others injured.The Delhi high court on Monday termed the Satya Niketan building collapse as “most unfortunate”, and questioned not only the responsibility of the building owners but also that of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi University (DU), which it said had failed to provide adequate accommodation for outstation students dependent on private paying guest (PG) facilities.