Commenting on the prime minister's interview late on Tuesday, main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance spokesperson Popi Tsapanidou called it a "crescendo of unprecedented communication insensitivity", adding: "Mr. Mitsotakis appeared to have no part in the great national tragedy and handed out blame without any possibility of reply, while accepting none himself."
Tsapanidou accused the premier of using "lies, chicanery and evasion to sell a fairytale of renegotiating the contract with Hellenic Train when his own minister, Mr. Karamanlis, was the one that gave them 600 million euros, as though they belonged to him and the prime minister, and not to the Greek people".
She also accused the prime minister of "forgetting" that the station master of February 28 had connections within the ruling New Democracy party, of attempting to excuse the placement of temporary contract staff in crucial positions and insisting on "the infuriating lie that Larisa's telemanagement supposedly worked" when the station masters had refuted this claim in the presence of a minister, live on nationwide television.
Tsapanidou also commented on the prime minister's announcement concerning the date of the elections, saying that "since nothing is panning out for him, he announced...elections in May, showing complete disregard for Parliament, the other parliamentary parties and the President of the Republic."
"Today, Mr Mitsotakis showed how greatly he believes that the number of human losses in a tragedy do not matter, provided he manages to carry out his plans. Disrespectful, indifferent and unfeeling," she added.