By IANS,
Mumbai : Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh Sunday visited the Taj hotel here in the company of his actor-son Riteish and filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, evoking strong reactions among Mumbaikers.
The five-star hotel, set up in 1905, was seized by terrorists Wednesday night along with a Jewish centre and the Oberoi hotel. The gunmen killed people and then took hostages until commandos neutralised them Saturday. From the Taj, Deshmukh went over to the Oberoi.
The terror drama left 183 people dead.
Mumbaikers expressed anger that the chief minister chose to take a film maker to the Taj and the Oberoi even as the country was mourning its dead.
“Is he taking Ram Gopal Varma so that he (Varma) could make a realistic film one day?” asked Narendra Shinde, an employee of a multinational company.
“This is insensitive (on the part of the chief minister),” said Aruna Anand, a social activist. “Politicians have to exhibit a sense of sensitivity when common people are suffering.”
Neither Riteish Deshmukh nor Ram Gopal Varma could be contacted for their comments.