The BJP in Kerala on Tuesday accused the ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress of using the Wayanad landslide tragedy for “political gains”.
The CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF are observing hartal separately today to protest against the lack of central assistance for the landslide victims in the mountain district even months after the disaster.
Terming the hartal as “drama”, the saffron party alleged that it was being staged with an intent to stop the BJP’s good show in the November 20 by-poll in Palakkad.
Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan strongly rejected the allegations of the CPI(M) and the Congress over the issue of lack of central aid to the landslide survivors.
He charged that the “INDI Alliance” was unleashing a false campaign against the union government over “additional” central assistance to Wayanad.
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The Centre has never said that it won’t provide “additional” financial assistance but the landslide tragedy is being used for political gains (in the state), he said.
He sought to know from the CPI(M) whether its government has submitted the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report in connection with the landslide.
Muraleedharan further said the Congress, which had distributed worm-infested rice to the landslide survivors in Meppadi in Wayanad, wouldn’t have the courage to ask this.
He criticised state Revenue Minister K Rajan for remaining silent on the matter.
The respective states, which claimed to have received the central aid, got the assistance after considering the PDNA reports submitted by them, he explained.
He accused the Left government in the state of not adhering to the rules and norms in this regard.
The BJP leader charged that the state government was not even ready to hold discussions with voluntary organisations who have offered to construct houses for the victims of the landslides. Not a piece of land was handed over to them by the state government in the last four months to build houses for the survivors, he added.
He said the central government had stated that a high-level committee would hold a meeting to decide on declaring the landslides in Mundakkai and Chooralmala as a severe disaster, with further actions to follow accordingly.
He also urged the people of the state to realise the CPI(M)-Congress “conspiracy” to use the disaster-hit persons for their political gains.
However, Muraleedharan’s remarks about the gravity of the disaster triggered a row with CPI (M) and the Congress coming out strongly condemning it.
While answering a question, the BJP leader asked the reporters to refrain from saying that the entire land (Wayanad) had been washed away in the landslide as only three wards in a panchayat were affected by the disaster.
Raising strong objections to the statement, CPI (M) leader and former MLA, C K Saseendran alleged that Muraleedharan mocked not only the survivors and victims of the landslide but also the entire people of the state.
He also sought to know from the BJP leader why Prime Minister Narendra Modi did visit Wayanad if it was a minor incident.
Sharing similar views, Congress leader and MLA T Siddique expressed strong protest against V Muraleedharan’s statement.
“His remarks amounted to insulting the victims and the survivors of the tragedy. With this, the true colours of the BJP have come out,” he said.
The state, last week, witnessed an intense political row following the Centre’s recent letter to the state government stating that under the existing guidelines of SDRF and NDRF, there is no provision to declare any calamity a ‘national disaster”.
The disaster, which struck on July 30, devastated large parts of three villages –Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai–along with sections of Attamala in Wayanad.
As per the government, the deadly disaster claimed 231 lives, while 47 people are still missing.
