The Congress on Monday demanded revocation of contract for a Chinese firm to build the second bridge over the Ganges in Farakka following the death of 20 Indian soldiers in a clash with Chinese troops in Ladakh last week.

The under-construction bridge with four lanes will be 2.58km long and will rest on 88 pillars. The construction, sources said, was assigned to a joint venture of China-based Qingdao Construction Engineering Group Company Limited and RKEC Project Limited, an Indian firm.

“The BJP government is maintaining a double standard. The Prime Minister, who preaches ‘Make in India’ policy, should immediately revoke the agreement and engage any non-Chinese company for the project. It is an important project for north Bengal and Northeast. After the collapse of a girder, we have doubts even on the quality of the work,” said Mostaque Alam, a Congress MLA.

A girder connecting two pillars of the bridge had collapsed on February 16, crushing to death an engineer and a technician. Malda district Trinamul Congress chief Mausam Noor also believes non-Chinese firms should be given the task. “We would speak to the party’s top brass to seek their counsel in this regard and after we get a nod, we would launch a movement on the issue,” she said.

Swadhin Sarkar, the BJP MLA of Baishnabnagar from where the Farakka bridge starts at the northern end, said: “We will send a letter to the Centre, saying a new company that is not based in China should be given the project.”