TONGUE-IN-CHEEK: India’s Bridges May Collapse, But Hey—Look, It’s Raining in New York!

When the roof of a newly inaugurated airport caves in during the first rain, when a flyover snaps within weeks of ribbon-cutting, and when potholes on highways begin to resemble Olympic swimming pools -- many would expect national outrage, scrutiny, and a few tough questions.

Instead, a portion of the desi internet responds with: “Look! Floods in New York! See? Even America drowns!”

File Photo Source: Anandwa

This isn't satire. It's strategy—of distraction, denial, and devotional deflection. The logic seems to be: if America can flood, India’s collapsing bridges are somehow... justified?

Congress leader and former journalist Supriya Shrinate wasn’t having it. In a post that delivered equal parts fury and facts, she called out what she described as an “infrastructure apologist lobby” more interested in foreign floods than domestic disasters. 

Her blunt point: You voted for this government, not for New York’s mayor. You pay taxes here. So maybe care about your airport roof falling on your head?

But there’s something especially revealing about this particular comparison culture. It’s not just bad faith, it’s lazy. It imagines that if any developed country suffers a momentary lapse, India’s chronic structural collapse somehow gets an exit pass. Never mind that India’s construction woes often show up before the grand opening ceremony ends.

आजकल एक लॉबी है जो हिंदुस्तान के धराशायी होते इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर पर चिंतित होने के बजाय

न्यूयॉर्क में बाढ़ आ गई पर ज़्यादा चर्चा करना चाहती है - बार बार यह कह कर खुश हैं ‘अरे पानी भर गया - यह हिंदुस्तान नहीं अमेरिका है’

मूढ़ भक्तों, तुमने वोट देकर अपनी सरकार चुनी है ना - अमेरिका… pic.twitter.com/y71F9HvXmp

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) July 19, 2025

If a bridge collapses the day it’s unveiled, it shouldn’t matter whether it’s raining in Manhattan or snowing in Montreal. Accountability doesn’t travel well when it’s constantly outsourced.

And here’s the irony that Shrinate lands with force: the much-maligned “70 years” that the ruling party loves blaming? Infrastructure built during that time—bridges, dams, roads—still stands tall. Maybe because back then, the goal was to build a nation, not a billboard.

So while one side of the debate clutches a selfie with a collapsed pillar, the other is asking:

• Who signed off on the poor-quality materials?

• Why does every contractor in the corruption file keep getting more contracts?

• How long do we blame previous decades while post-2014 flyovers fall like dominoes?

And perhaps most importantly: Why does every ribbon-cutting come with a giant banner of the Prime Minister, but every collapse comes with no names and even fewer consequences? Not our words or allegations, principal opposition party's chairperson of social media and digital platforms. But we would like to add that her words are not without merit, or proof thereof.

If patriotism means cheering on collapsing concrete and dodging questions with comparisons, then we’ve misunderstood what it means to serve a nation. Building for longevity, not photo-ops, might just be a more honest act of nationalism.

So no, we don’t need to panic about the New York subway getting soggy. We need to panic about taxpayers dying under cement. Let us fix the foundation, not the narrative.