Chandigarh, October 23: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh will proceed on a four-day holiday to Turkey after his five-day official visit to Israel ends on Thursday.
CM’s media adviser Raveen Thukral said: “After the Israel trip, the chief minister will be on a personal visit to Turkey for three-four days. He will be visiting Gallipoli to pay homage to the soldiers from his regiment who lost their lives in World War 1. This is the 100th year of the World War.”
Though both the CM’s official visit to Israel and holiday in Turkey were planned weeks in advance of Amritsar rail tragedy that left 61 dead and many injured on Friday, questions are being raised within the ruling Congress too on the timing of the private holiday by the CM.
“So many human lives have been lost in the horrific accident. In this case, both the message and the messenger are wrong,” was the curt response of a senior minister, who did not wish to be named.
With the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal and Aam Aadmi Party already criticising the CM for deferring his Israel visit only by a day till Sunday, the CM tweeted a video of monitoring relief operations from Tel Aviv and pictures of three cabinet ministers handing out compensation to victim families.
A CMO functionary said Amarinder is monitoring the situation constantly from Israel. On the eve of his departure, Amarinder had said he was leaving after “assurance of his cabinet colleagues and administration on the relief and rehabilitation measures being carried out for the victims”.
But SAD spokesperson Mahesh Inder Grewal said the CM’s role is like that of a head of the family. “Its really sad that at a time of such a big tragedy in the state, he has chosen to holiday, unmoved by tears of victims and their families.”
Former deputy speaker of Punjab assembly Bir Devinder called the Turkey holiday as “impudence”.
“One can understand his committed official schedule in Israel but there seems to be no justification of his sabbatical in Turkey. Like Nero fiddled when Rome burned, only a royal dynast like Amarinder can afford to fiddle with fun and frolic when his people suffer,” he said in a statement.
Source Hindustan Times
