I appreciate the gesture of @narendramodi to mark Diwali by spending it with the flood affected people of J&K in Srinagar, the worst hit 1/n — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) October 21, 2014

Let's just appreciate that @narendramodi is in Srinagar on his festival & not at home celebrating as he normally would have been doing 3/n — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) October 21, 2014

Will be in Srinagar on Diwali, 23rd October & will spend the day with our sisters & brothers affected by the unfortunate floods. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 21, 2014

Tharoor flays PM's plan

SRINAGAR/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday appreciated Narendra Modi 's gesture to spend Diwali with people of the flood-affected state, while Congress MP Shashi Tharoor disapproved of the Prime Minister's plan."I appreciate the gesture of @narendramodi to mark Diwali by spending it with the flood affected people of J&K in Srinagar, the worst hit," Omar wrote on Twitter.In an apparent reference to opposition PDP, the chief minister said those questioning the timing of Prime Minister's visit on Diwali instead of Eid, would also be cursing the government due to restrictions necessitated by either strike called by the separatists or security arrangements made for such high profile visits."The people asking why Diwali & why not Eid would've been the same people cursing because of the restrictions caused by hartal/security," he said."Let's just appreciate that @narendramodi is in Srinagar on his festival and not at home celebrating as he normally would have been doing," he added.The Prime Minister on Tuesday tweeted that he would be spending Diwali with flood-affected "brothers and sisters" in Srinagar. "Will be in Srinagar on Diwali, 23rd October & will spend the day with our sisters & brothers affected by the unfortunate flood," Modi tweeted.Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who had recently earned the party's ire for supporting the "Swachh Bharat" mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, disapproved of Modi's plan to spend the Diwali on October 23 in Srinagar."Srinagar is a great idea but it would have been better if there wasn't an election looming in the state," Tharoor tweeted.Assembly elections are due in Jammu & Kashmir this year-end.The Congress had on October 13 removed Tharoor as the party's spokesman after the party's Kerala unit lodged a complaint against him for praising Modi.The Kerala PCC leadership had demanded "appropriate action" against the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram for his "pro-Modi stands", including unilaterally accepting the PM's invitation to be a brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat campaign.The report of the Kerala unit had held that Tharoor's adulatory statements about Modi had hurt Congress workers in Kerala, who had worked sincerely and tirelessly for his victory from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat.