Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) [India], January 12 : Andhra Pradesh Congress President YS Sharmila called Saturday's stampede at the Tirupati temple "a failure of the government." She emphasized that the Congress party responded immediately to the issue and reiterated her party's demand for an immediate higher-level inquiry and Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of the deceased.
"The stampede at Tirumala is a failure of the government...The Congress party was one of the parties that reacted immediately to the issue. We had not only asked for an immediate inquiry at a higher level but also asked for compensation of Rs 1 crore for the deceased family... We hope that this will not happen...We hope necessary action will be taken in the incident..." said YS Sharmila.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy claimed that the state government had responded promptly to the Tirupati stampede and accused the opposition YSRCP of exploiting the tragedy for political gains.
"The government responded promptly to the incident in Tirupati. As per the instructions of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, six ministers visited Tirupati to console the affected people. The Chief Minister took immediate action against those responsible for the incident," Ramanarayana Reddy told reporters.
"At a time when the people of the state are content, the incident in Tirupati has deeply disturbed everyone," he added.
The minister also alleged that YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, along with other leaders of his party, had entered the ICU rooms of the hospital where the injured had been admitted without the permission of the doctors.
Meanwhile, six people were killed after a stampede broke out at Tirupati on Wednesday night during the ticket distribution. 40 others were also injured in the mishap.
On Thursday, Reddy interacted with the victims of the stampede in Tirupati.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh for the families of the deceased, along with providing contract jobs. The injured will also be granted special darshan at the temple on Friday.