Seat belts, airbags and quick response of people saved us, says PM Modi’s brother after car accident near Mysuru

They were on their way to Bandipur National Tiger Reserve Tuesday afternoon when the driver lost control of the car which hit a divider near Kadakola, 13 km away from Mysore. Speaking to the media in Mysuru, Prahlad Modi said he had recovered and would leave the city once doctors allow him.

Prahlad Modi said, “The car belongs to my friend Rajashekar. There was another car too. We were heading to Bandipur National Tiger Reserve. I do not know what went wrong. The vehicle was not speeding. As we were wearing seat belts and airbags opened, the impact of the accident was minimal. The people in the accident spot and the police officials also responded on time which really saved us.”

He also said PM Modi called him after learning about the accident. “He called me Tuesday and asked about our condition. He also assured me that everything would be taken care of.” Of the six siblings, PM Modi is the third and Prahlad the fourth.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Brijesh Kalappa demanded the government should respond the same whenever accidents involving “common people” happen. “The government is not concerned about the common people travelling on the road but serves only VIPs. The government was steadfast when it came to the treatment of Prahlad Modi, brother of the prime minister after he was injured in a mishap on the Mysore-Nanjangud route. The tragedy of the current government is that it does not even acknowledge the deaths of common commuters on the same 10-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway.”

Speaking at the AAP’s state office Wednesday, Kalappa said, “Based on various reports, at least 65 accidents have taken place in the last three months which have led to at least 36 deaths. It is not right on the part of the government to play with the lives of the people An expert committee should be constituted at the earliest to inspect the decadal highway and based on its report, the loopholes should be rectified. It is not right for the government to play with the lives of innocent motorists.”

“Even when it rains moderately, the rainwater gets collected at many places on the highway and leads to flooding. The design flaws with respect to roadside drains and unscientific work on the service roads have led to dire situations. The asphalting of the roads is also poor and the road has been uprooted within a few months of its inauguration. While the Mysuru MP, Pratap Simha, does not waste an opportunity to boast about the 10-lane expressway, he is not bothered to even talk about the plight of the ones who have lost lives on the same road. He, in fact, does a cover-up of these issues by ignoring or not talking about it,” Kalappa added.