MP Manoj Tiwari and his supporters acted shamefully at the bridge inauguration ceremony in his constituency in Delhi.

The ‘Signature Bridge’ connecting North Delhi and North-East Delhi has been described by some in the media as ‘iconic’, quite ignoring the definition of the term but there is no doubt that this much-delayed bridge, which has taken over a decade to build, is quite impressive even if one ignores the scandalous delays in its construction. From barely having 20-odd lanes of traffic crossing the Yamuna River in the mid-1990s, today there are over 40 lanes for traffic crossing the river and this new bridge will undoubtedly improve connectivity with the lesser served north-eastern part of the city, where a large number of recent migrants particularly from the Purvanchal area live.

It was petty of the Aam Aadmi Party-run Delhi Government, which has constructed the Signature Bridge, to not invite the local Member of Parliament to the inauguration ceremony on Sunday. The area MP, Manoj Tiwari, doesn’t just belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party but is the party’s Delhi unit president too. That said, the precedent for pettiness in infrastructure inaugurations is not restricted to the AAP — the BJP-led Central Government also did not invite the Delhi Chief Minister to the inauguration of the Metro Magenta Line between Noida and South Delhi.

All tit-for-tat non-invites aside, however, the shameful behaviour of Tiwari and his supporters in attacking policemen and behaving boorishly is highly unbecoming. Whatever affront Tiwari’s ego suffered, he should not have taken it out on police personnel doing their duty; his open threats to the men in uniform are just plain and simple bullying. Tiwari clearly prevented public officials from carrying out their duty and his supporters have been captured on film throwing bottles towards the Chief Minister and other dignitaries seated on the stage.

Thus a moment of pride for the citizens of the area, despite the huge delays in construction, became a moment of infamy. Thankfully, despite the nature of politically-charged mobs to attack and destroy infrastructure in this country, the bridge remained unharmed. While there should be action taken against Tiwari for his behavior, maybe it is also time for politicians to be more welcoming of opponents for inaugurations. Local politicians from all major political parties play a role in getting development projects off the ground and the Signature Bridge is no exception — it was, after all, conceived by Sheila Dikshit, the then Congress Chief Minister of Delhi. Local MPs do have a right to take some credit for a project in their constituency but they do not have the right to behave the way Tiwari did.

Writer: Pioneer

Courtesy: The Pioneer

MP Manoj Tiwari and his supporters acted shamefully at the bridge inauguration ceremony in his constituency in Delhi.

The ‘Signature Bridge’ connecting North Delhi and North-East Delhi has been described by some in the media as ‘iconic’, quite ignoring the definition of the term but there is no doubt that this much-delayed bridge, which has taken over a decade to build, is quite impressive even if one ignores the scandalous delays in its construction. From barely having 20-odd lanes of traffic crossing the Yamuna River in the mid-1990s, today there are over 40 lanes for traffic crossing the river and this new bridge will undoubtedly improve connectivity with the lesser served north-eastern part of the city, where a large number of recent migrants particularly from the Purvanchal area live.

It was petty of the Aam Aadmi Party-run Delhi Government, which has constructed the Signature Bridge, to not invite the local Member of Parliament to the inauguration ceremony on Sunday. The area MP, Manoj Tiwari, doesn’t just belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party but is the party’s Delhi unit president too. That said, the precedent for pettiness in infrastructure inaugurations is not restricted to the AAP — the BJP-led Central Government also did not invite the Delhi Chief Minister to the inauguration of the Metro Magenta Line between Noida and South Delhi.

All tit-for-tat non-invites aside, however, the shameful behaviour of Tiwari and his supporters in attacking policemen and behaving boorishly is highly unbecoming. Whatever affront Tiwari’s ego suffered, he should not have taken it out on police personnel doing their duty; his open threats to the men in uniform are just plain and simple bullying. Tiwari clearly prevented public officials from carrying out their duty and his supporters have been captured on film throwing bottles towards the Chief Minister and other dignitaries seated on the stage.

Thus a moment of pride for the citizens of the area, despite the huge delays in construction, became a moment of infamy. Thankfully, despite the nature of politically-charged mobs to attack and destroy infrastructure in this country, the bridge remained unharmed. While there should be action taken against Tiwari for his behavior, maybe it is also time for politicians to be more welcoming of opponents for inaugurations. Local politicians from all major political parties play a role in getting development projects off the ground and the Signature Bridge is no exception — it was, after all, conceived by Sheila Dikshit, the then Congress Chief Minister of Delhi. Local MPs do have a right to take some credit for a project in their constituency but they do not have the right to behave the way Tiwari did.

Writer: Pioneer

Courtesy: The Pioneer