Brazen Show of Competitive Politics in Dehradun Airport

Naidu, who was present at the scene, termed the incident unfortunate and said it should not have happened and there should not be any competition over such a tragedy.

However, he said they would not stop their "service" until the last pilgrim is sent back safely to his native place.

"The Congress government (in Andhra Pradesh) totally failed to help the pilgrims. They did nothing. They woke up only after we took initiatives like bringing pilgrims out of the flood area and sending them by flight to Hyderabad.

"They are only sabotaging our efforts. We are doing this on humanitarian grounds. We have also arranged medical aid for victims. This is no time for politics," Naidu said.

He also alleged that victims from Andhra Pradesh were being discriminated against in the relief operations.

Alleging that the state government has failed in the rescue and relief operations, Naidu had held a sit-in at the AP Bhavan in Delhi on Sunday night. Accompanied by several party MPs, he went to Dehradun and has also arranged a special flight to bring the victims to Hyderabad.

The ruling Congress has hit back at Naidu saying that the TDP Chief was only politicising the issue.

"Naidu did not attend the recent Assembly session. He was in America. He is doing all this to escape the blame," Andhra Pradesh Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy had alleged two days ago.