AAP should have made arrangements for fire tenders, ambulances at rally: Congress

The Congress party on Thursday blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the death of farmer Gajendra Singh, stating that the organisers of the public gathering should have made arrangements for fire tenders and ambulances, which could have saved the farmer's life.

Gajendra Singh had committed suicide by hanging himself during an AAP rally at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Wednesday.

"When our rally in Ramlila Ground took place, there were two fire tenders from the fire service department, four ambulances of CATS, teams of doctors and mobile teams were present. We had made arrangements for that. When such large public gathering is taking place then it is the duty of the organisers to make arrangements to prevent untoward incidents. These are the norms," Congress leader Ajay Maken told media.

Maken further accused the AAP of being insensitive towards the farmers as the rally went on despite Gajendra's death.

"If one fire tender with a ladder and an ambulance were present yesterday, then the life of the farmer could have been saved. The Congress party wants to urge Delhi Police and the organisers of such events to be sensitive towards such things in future...Even after the death, the rally went on. This shows insensitivity of the party towards the people," Maken said.

The incident has sparked criticism for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, with opposition parties condemning that the rally went on despite the grave incident.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sadness over the incident, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said she would do whatever is needed for the welfare of the farming community.