<p>Panaji: The ruling BJP on Sunday criticised the Congress MP from South Goa, Viriato Fernandes, for accepting felicitation at the temple in Shirgaon where six persons died in a stampede only a day ago.</p>.<p>Fernandes visited the Sree Lairai Devi temple and was felicitated by the temple committee by offering a shawl and flowers.</p>.<p>A video of the felicitation went viral.</p>.Incident was beyond human expectation: Goa Governor on temple stampede.<p>BJP spokesperson Giriraj Pai Vernekar said while Goa was mourning the tragic loss of lives, Fernandes felt "no shame in getting himself felicitated." "For what achievement, exactly?" the BJP leader asked.</p>.<p>Vernekar pointed out that hours after Saturday's incident, Congress's Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare had blamed the temple committee for the incident, and said this was a "shameless hypocrisy".</p>.<p>While Fernandes was unavailable for comments on the criticism, talking to reporters on Sunday morning after the felicitation he said he did not represent North Goa but has a special affinity for neighbouring Assnora village where he was born.</p>.<p>"I had come to pray to Devi Lairai. I had visited the temple last year too," he said.</p>.<p>He visited the Goa Medical College and Hospital on Saturday to meet the victims, he informed.</p>.<p>The Congress MP appealed to the state government to increase the financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh announced by it for the kin of the deceased.</p>.<p>"The compensation should be increased. We are spending crores of rupees for event management and other things. We should look at victims sympathetically and empathetically," he said.</p>.<p>The MP also said he has given various suggestions to the temple committee to ensure that incidents such as stampedes do not happen again. </p>
<p>Panaji: The ruling BJP on Sunday criticised the Congress MP from South Goa, Viriato Fernandes, for accepting felicitation at the temple in Shirgaon where six persons died in a stampede only a day ago.</p>.<p>Fernandes visited the Sree Lairai Devi temple and was felicitated by the temple committee by offering a shawl and flowers.</p>.<p>A video of the felicitation went viral.</p>.Incident was beyond human expectation: Goa Governor on temple stampede.<p>BJP spokesperson Giriraj Pai Vernekar said while Goa was mourning the tragic loss of lives, Fernandes felt "no shame in getting himself felicitated." "For what achievement, exactly?" the BJP leader asked.</p>.<p>Vernekar pointed out that hours after Saturday's incident, Congress's Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare had blamed the temple committee for the incident, and said this was a "shameless hypocrisy".</p>.<p>While Fernandes was unavailable for comments on the criticism, talking to reporters on Sunday morning after the felicitation he said he did not represent North Goa but has a special affinity for neighbouring Assnora village where he was born.</p>.<p>"I had come to pray to Devi Lairai. I had visited the temple last year too," he said.</p>.<p>He visited the Goa Medical College and Hospital on Saturday to meet the victims, he informed.</p>.<p>The Congress MP appealed to the state government to increase the financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh announced by it for the kin of the deceased.</p>.<p>"The compensation should be increased. We are spending crores of rupees for event management and other things. We should look at victims sympathetically and empathetically," he said.</p>.<p>The MP also said he has given various suggestions to the temple committee to ensure that incidents such as stampedes do not happen again. </p>