Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was on Saturday at the receiving end when he met in Mewat district Lt. Kiran Shekhawat’s kin who were unhappy that he had cancelled his trip twice, blaming him for not respecting the emotions of a martyr’s family.
Mr. Khattar told reporters after meeting Lt. Shekhawat’s family that he had apologised to them for not coming earlier but this was disputed with the naval officer’s father-in-law Shrichand Chhoker stating that no regret was forthcoming from the Chief Minister.
27-year-old Kiran died in a Dornier crash off the Goa coast on March 24 while on an official mission.
The Chief Minister said: “I was supposed to come on Friday but I had some important work in Chandigarh. I apologised to the family and told them that I will visit immediately and I have done so on Saturday.”
Asked why he had not made the visit on April 6 as scheduled by him, Khattar claimed it was “due to bad weather” but Chhoker questioned it, saying the weather was fine on that day. Mr. Chhoker’s remarks that an official at the CM’s residence had spoken rudely to him when he enquired about the programme, Mr. Khattar said: “It is not like that. I know my people. Nobody has spoken like that”.
Congress and Samajwadi Party lashed out at Mr. Khattar, accusing him of not respecting the sentiments of the naval officer’s family by failing to meet them twice.
“It is completely insensitive...the manner in which the Haryana CM has treated this family is possibly the most telling testimony of not only insensitivity by adding insult to injury, an injury in this case which is irreparable because this officer will never come back,” Congress leader Manish Tewari said.
SP spokesman Gaurav Bhatia said, “If you make any programme twice and cancel it, then I think it is definitely very insulting and it should not have been done” for someone who has made the biggest sacrifice for the country. - PTI
