US Consul General in Mumbai Edgard Kagan, who is on a visit to the Madhya Pradesh capital, on Friday said the roads he has seen in Bhopal so far are fine.
He was responding to reporters’ queries on the remarks of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Washington on Tuesday who had said that roads in Madhya Pradesh were better than those in the US.
He had come under fire by the Congress which demanded revocation of his diplomatic visa for “violating diplomatic limitations” and was also targetted by social media users who mocked the comparison.
Kagan, who is on a trip to Bhopal from Tuesday, said, “I’m sure that I will get to learn a lot about roads in Madhya Pradesh in the next three years…The roads I have seen in Bhopal so far are fine.”
Kagan said there were some roads in Washington that need some work.
“I’m also sure that there are roads in any place and any country that need to be improved. But I’m not going to compare the roads in Washington with Madhya Pradesh,” the envoy said.
He said he enjoyed the cruise ride at the Upper Lake in Bhopal and described the tribal museum in the city as “beautiful and amazing”.
Earlier in the day, state Home Minister and BJP leader Bhupendra Singh said only a part of the Chouhan’s speech was being shown and that a “clear picture” would emerge only after watching the entire video of the speech and understanding its context.
Meanwhile, several netizens continue to upload pictures of bad roads in their respective localities across Madhya Pradesh in the wake of Chouhan’s claim.
A Twitter user said, “It appears that CM sahib has not come to visit Awadhpuri locality (in Bhopal). He should be made to visit Awadhpuri and, that too, on a bicycle”.
