Can't understand why such incidents occur when polls are around: HP minister on Delhi blast

Shimla, Nov 11 (PTI) A day after a blast near the Red Fort in Delhi claimed 12 lives, Himachal Pradesh Minister Jagat Singh Negi on Tuesday wondered "why such incidents occur when elections are around".

He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Bhutan visit, saying, "It is unfortunate that whenever there is a crisis in the country, PM Modi is abroad." Interacting with reporters here, the state revenue minister said, "I am unable to understand why such incidents occur when elections are around." "You have seen that when the Pulwama tragedy struck, elections were to be held. Talks of elections were going on even when the Pahalgam attack took place. This time, there were Bihar assembly polls," Negi said.

Forty CRPF personnel were killed when a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into the force's convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14, 2019. The Lok Sabha polls were just a few months away.

In April this year, terrorists struck a prime tourist location in Pahalgam that left at least 26 people, mostly tourists, dead and several injured. It was the deadliest terror strike in the Kashmir Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack.

About the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Himachal Pradesh following this year's monsoon disaster, Negi referred to the PM's announcement of Rs 1,500 crore for the state two months ago and said there is no point in help if it does not arrive on time. PTI BPL NSD NSD