As rescue teams gained momentum in their efforts to save 41 workers trapped for over two weeks in the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi after a part of it collapsed on November 12, Congress on Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and predicted the latter would welcome the trapped workers with a green flag outside the tunnel. 

The Congress on Tuesday posted a cartoon of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with green flag on X with the caption, "Kuch camera vagera lagwaye, to sahib ke darshan ho jaaye (install some cameras so that we can have a sight of Saheb)".

BJP national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam reacted to the post by Congress and called it "unfortunate".

"It is unfortunate. At a time when Congress should have prayed for those 41 lives and gathered the necessary resources, they were unable to shoulder the responsibility of the Opposition. They can only look for mockery in every matter and hurl insults. The entire country is praying for those 41 lives. But they are busy in mockery. This is unfortunate,"  said Dushyant Kumar Gautam. 

The rescue operation to help the 41 workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi was still underway on Tuesday, as rat-hole mining experts were called in to begin manual drilling through the rubble. 

By Monday evening, the last bit of the busted auger drilling machine had been cut out piece by piece and a steel pipe inserted further into the partially complete escape passage.

(With inputs from agencies)