Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal criticised the Union government’s stance as “gross injustice” toward Kerala, accusing it of a calculated disregard for Malayalis.
Published Nov 15, 2024 | 1:41 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 15, 2024 | 6:36 PM
The 2024 Wayanad landslides were one of the deadliest disasters in Kerala's history. (X)
Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal and state Congress President K Sudhakaran on Friday, 15 November, condemned the Union government’s refusal to declare the 30 July Wayanad landslides a national disaster and termed the action discriminatory and politically motivated.
Balagopal criticised the Union government’s stance as “gross injustice” toward Kerala, accusing it of a calculated disregard for Malayalis.
On Thursday, Congress’ candidate in the recently polled Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said the Union government’s action was an injustice to those who suffered unimaginable loss.
Meanwhile, during a hearing in the Kerala High Court on Friday regarding the landslides, the lawyer representing the Union government said the High Level Committee meeting to categorise the disaster did not happen yet and that a decision would be taken soon.
The matter was posted for further hearing on 22 November.
Balagopal argued that the Union government deprived Kerala of adequate disaster relief despite a death toll surpassing 400 and severe property losses, contrasting this with larger aid packages extended to less-affected states.
Sudhakaran echoed these sentiments, alleging political bias due to Wayanad’s association with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka.
He vowed that Congress-led UDF would launch widespread protests against this “betrayal,” pressing the government to provide a special relief package for Wayanad, which he emphasised as a right, not charity.
Sudhakaran also criticised the CPI(M)-led LDF government in the state for not fully utilising its State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and urged it to expedite rehabilitation measures.
Both Balagopal and Sudhakaran called for united action across political lines in Kerala, emphasising federalism’s erosion under the BJP-led Union government.
In a post on X, Priyanka said the Union government was playing politics by withholding crucial aid.
“Despite the landslides that devastated Wayanad, the BJP govt refuses to declare it a national disaster, denying essential relief to those in dire need. This isn’t just negligence; it’s a shocking injustice to those who have suffered unimaginable loss. The people of Wayanad deserve better,” Priyanka said.
“PM Narendra Modi visited Wayanad at the time of the tragedy, he witnessed its effects firsthand, yet his government is playing politics and withholding crucial aid. The same was done with the people of Himachal Pradesh at a time of great distress for them. In the past, tragedies of this magnitude were not politicized in this manner,” she said.
“The singling out and lack of support to victims of these tragedies due to political reasons is unprecedented and totally unacceptable,” she added.
Despite the landslides that devastated Wayanad, the BJP govt refuses to declare it a national disaster, denying essential relief to those in dire need. This isn’t just negligence; it’s a shocking injustice to those who have suffered unimaginable loss. The people of Wayanad…
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) November 14, 2024
With the winter session of Parliament set to commence on 25 November, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly VD Satheesan said that UDF MPs from Kerala will strongly protest against the Union government’s neglect of Wayanad disaster victims.
The Opposition leader criticised the BJP-led central government for failing to provide special financial assistance to the state despite the prime minister’s visit and a central team’s study of the affected region.
“The Union government’s announcement that not a single rupee will be given to Kerala is shocking and a neglect of the state itself,” Satheesan said, accusing the BJP government of ignoring Kerala’s plight.
He pointed out that while states like Uttarakhand, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh received special financial packages, Kerala’s request for assistance was dismissed, leaving Wayanad in the lurch.
Satheesan added that the allocation from the SDRF was inadequate for comprehensive rehabilitation, emphasising that what Wayanad requires was special financial aid.
He also alleged that the Union government’s decision to withhold funds was deliberately timed, with the announcement coming after polling for the Wayanad parliamentary elections had concluded.
In response to Kerala’s appeal for additional support following the landslides in Punchirimattam, Mundakkai and Chooralmala wards in Wayanad on 30 July, the Union government said that sufficient funds are already available in the SDRF to support ongoing relief efforts.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai also stated in a letter that under the current SDRF or National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) guidelines, there is no provision to declare any calamity as a “National Disaster”.
The letter was in reply to a recent appeal by KV Thomas, Kerala’s special representative in New Delhi, who had requested the prime minister to designate the landslide and flash floods in Wayanad as a national disaster.
Rai emphasised that state governments bear the primary responsibility for managing disasters within their jurisdictions.
In cases of severe disasters, additional aid may be provided by the NDRF following a formal assessment by an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT).
He noted that an IMCT was formed on 2 August to assess immediate losses in Wayanad, even before receiving an official memorandum from the state government.
The team conducted its survey of the affected areas between 8 and 10 August.
“Based on the report received from the team, the Central government will proceed according to the established procedures,” Rai’s letter concluded.
As the UDF and LDF intensified their criticism, BJP’s state president for Kerala K Surendran presented a counter-narrative, alleging that the state government has undermined the rehabilitation process.
Surendran accused the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government of failing to convene an all-party meeting even four months after the disaster, despite the urgency of the situation.
“The opposition’s silence is aiding the state’s negligence,” he claimed, pointing out that the UPA government had removed the “national disaster” classification in 2013, underlining that VD Satheesan and the Congress should direct their protests at the previous Manmohan Singh government.
Highlighting the need for factual clarity, Surendran urged the state to submit a detailed study report to the Union government to expedite assistance. He emphasised that the union ministers have clarified that aid will be disbursed proportionally to the disaster’s scale.
Dismissing the ongoing campaigns by UDF and LDF as political stunts ahead of the Palakkad by-election, Surendran reiterated the BJP’s stance that both fronts are using the issue for political mileage rather than addressing the core problems.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Dileep V Kumar.)
