Congress Criticizes Rashmika Mandanna’s Endorsement of Atal Setu Bridge
The Kerala Congress has voiced strong opposition to actress Rashmika Mandanna’s endorsement of the newly constructed Atal Setu bridge, part of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, which reduces travel time from Dadar to Navi Mumbai from 2.5 hours to just 20 minutes. The Congress has raised concerns and challenged the endorsement with a call for a new video highlighting their perspective.
The Kerala Congress pointed out that despite the bridge’s strategic importance and impressive design, it has not attracted significant traffic. They compared it unfavorably to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, constructed during the Congress regime. According to Congress, the Sea Link, built at a cost of ₹1,634 crore, charges a toll of ₹85 per car and generated ₹9.95 crore in revenue in March 2022 alone. In contrast, the Atal Setu bridge, constructed at an enormous cost of ₹17,840 crore, imposes a toll of ₹250 per car per trip and has only collected ₹22.57 crore in tolls over its first 102 days, translating to a monthly revenue of approximately ₹6.6 crore, far below the projected ₹30 crore.
The Congress party, via Twitter, questioned Mandanna’s endorsement, asking, “Dear Rashmika Mandanna Ji, can you do a pro-bono video on why Mumbaikars are not using the bridge? Is it due to high toll rates?” They also suggested that her video might be a BJP-sponsored, Enforcement Directorate-sponsored advertisement.
The question remains whether Rashmika Mandanna will respond to this challenge or remain silent amidst the controversy.
