Reporter's diary: Dear leaders, blame game don’t repair potholes

CHENNAI: After a 22-year-old woman was killed while trying to avoid a pothole on the service road of Chennai bypass near Maduravoyal, a war of words erupted on social media between the supporters of the BJP and DMK blaming each other.

Amar Prasad Reddy, BJP’s state president of the Sports and Skill Development Cell, hit out at the State government and Chennai Corporation in a tweet for the death of the techie due to potholes. “Fake promises & show-offs isn’t governance CM @mkstalin. Not all have hummer cars. Mayor #PriyaRajan do you need a reminder? We lost a life due to your negligence. MP @KanimozhiDMK your govt is the reason she died. Will you at least voice out? #Justiceforshobana,” he tweeted.

As several BJP supporters tweeted blaming the DMK government for the pothole-related death, the ruling party’s IT wing secretary TRB Rajaa tweeted: “Disturbing to see that a young life has been lost due to the state of bad #NationalHighway roads due to neglect of the union govt & @NHAI_Official like in other parts of TN, Condolences to the family.”

Interestingly, police investigations revealed that a van coming in the opposite direction brushed against the handlebar of the techie’s two-wheeler, which led to her losing control of the bike on the damaged road, leading to her fall, not potholes.