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Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Tuesday asked for an explanation for the delay in initiating relief measures after a plane crash in which senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia was killed.
"I have been rather upset after reading news reports about the inordinate delay and neglect in the overall relief operation. Therefore, I want to have your first hand version," Vajpayee told Agra Division Commissioner V K Sharma during a video-conference.
Scindia and seven others, including four journalists, were killed when their aircraft crashed near Mainpuri on Sunday afternoon. Congress leaders have alleged that rescue workers took inordinately long to reach the spot.
Wednesday's video-conference was meant to link the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's office with the commissioners of the state's 17 divisions. It ended up serving another purpose.
Sharma defended the district magistrate of Mainpuri, which comes under his jurisdiction, but Vajpayee seemed unconvinced. At this juncture, Chief Minister Rajnath Singh intervened and came to the commissioner's rescue.
"At personal risk to my life, I flew down in a helicopter and reached the site of the crash around 9.45 pm and remained there for a good two-and-a-half hours until the bodies were sent off with full state honoursto Agra," the chief minister told Vajpayee.
He also blamed senior Congress leaders for making what he termed false accusations against the administrative machinery of the state.
Vajpayee then asked the chief minister to get appropriate accounts of the state government's efforts published in the media.
Talking to mediapersons later, the chief minister was at a loss to explain what happened between 2.30 pm, when information about the crash first reached the Mainpuri district magistrate, and his own arrival around 9.45 pm.
By the commissioner's own account, the district magistrate and the superintendent of police had set out from Mainpuri only around 3 pm and had positioned themselves at the Bewar police station, quite some distance from the crash site.
Eyewitnesses had said that local officials swung into action only after they were informed that the chief minister was on his way.
Indo-Asian News Service
ALSO SEE: Preparations begin at Gwalior's royal crematorium Thousands throng Gwalior streets for a glimpse of Scindia Scindia's cremation postponed to Thursday The Complete Coverage
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