Defence Minister Bogdan Klich (right) should resign following the Smolensk air disaster, says former deputy minister of defence, Romuald Szeremietiew.

“If subordinate departments to Minister Klich were performing their role effectively then perhaps the disaster would not have occurred, ” Szeremietiew told the Polska daily.

"It's called taking political responsibility, because their has been a tragedy for which he undoubtedly bears some responsibility," said the former deputy defence minister in the previous Law and Justice government.

Szeremietiew said that the airport at Smolensk, where President Kaczynski and 95 others died was not checked properly to see if everything was in working order; and the training of pilots leaves much to be desired, he said.

Critics have also blamed Minister Klich for the fact that so many military top brass were on the plane that crashed on April 10. Kluch has told Gazeta Wyborcza, however, that trip to western Russia to attend a memorial service for victims of the 1940 Katyn massacre was organised by the Presidential Chancellery.

“We only received information from the President office that the President intended to invite [top military generals] to the Katyn ceremony. In the letter there was no information on how they would go to Katyn. Each of them from what I know, received a personal invitation from the President‘s office,” he said. (pg)