Union Minister Ananth Kumar said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had rushed to Kollam to take stock of the situation hours after the Puttingal Devi Temple fire tragedy, as "it was his duty as PM to do so”.
Taking a dig at former PM Manmohan Singh, he alleged that the Congress had provided a prime minister who never acted during the UPA's tenure at the Centre. In the last two years, India has had the luxury of a Prime Minister who is "dynamic and pro-active", he said. His remarks come in the light of comments made by some political parties as well as the Kerala Director General of Police that VVIP visits should be ‘avoided’ during such major mishaps.
The BJP's state unit had earlier alleged that the ruling Congress-led UDF cadre, who were ‘upset’ over the Prime Minister's visit, were ‘encouraging’ officials to make ‘unnecessary statements’. However, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had termed Modi's visit a ‘big relief’ to the people of Kerala.
Ananth Kumar also praised Modi for nominating Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi to the Rajya Sabha and said that this was in recognition of the creativity and talent of South India.
The April 10 tragedy which occurred during an unauthorized display of fireworks at the 100-year-old temple had killed 108 persons and injured more than 300.